Crisis in Metrocity
by HeadIntheCloudsForever
Summary: A year since the events of Titan's defeat, Megamind and Roxanne are happily married, with one minor caveat. They haven't informed her parents they're expecting. A botched trip to spend Thanksgiving quickly turns into a race against time to save Metro City from an alien invasion.
1. Chapter 1: Musings of a Reporter

I never intended to fall in love with him. Falling in love with him was the easy part; it is admitting to myself that it happened that is hard. Falling in love with Megamind was like entering a house and finally realizing I am home. When he smiles at me, I feel invisible hands wrapping around me making me feel safe. When he looks at me, it is as if every ounce of breath is taken from my lungs and floats into the air like midnight smoke. When he kisses me, it feels like the world stops, leaving just the two of us to wander Metro City or as my love so affectionately calls it, Metrocity. Every time he holds my face between his slender blue hands, it feels like he is untying all of my knots. Holding me for eternity in the arms I have grown so accustomed to. This is what falling in love was like—a story you never wanted to end. For so long had I longed for it, and now that I have it, I cannot bear to lose it—lose the thing that makes me feel complete. I scowl, my brows furrowed together in a slight frown as I wait for him. He emerged at last from his lair, looking thoroughly disgruntled, but with good reason. Today is the day he meets my parents. See, my parents do not exactly know their precious daughter, the distinguished reporter, is in love with an alien from another planet. I haven't exactly told them our news yet…

"You shouldn't love me," he said, his voice sounding pained. "In fact, you shouldn't be anywhere near me." Megamind's normally smooth, melodious voice now sounded rusty, like the hinges on the door of a missile silo, as he finally stepped out of the cellar and into the blinding morning sun of the day before Thanksgiving. I don't know why it's hot when winter's almost here, but somehow it is. Yet he manages to endure it without complaint like the modest, humble man that he is.

Megamind's eyes opened slowly and he managed a lopsided smile and his green eyes seemed to sparkle a new intensity as his gaze briefly wandered the length of my body. I am always amazed at how green his eyes are. My love's eyes were the hue of the new spring growth, bright and soft all at once. There were flecks of strength, of the kind of green that only comes as summer advances. And they were never more beautiful than when he laughed, decorated with laughter lines. Yet the soul and the eyes are ageless, and so to me, so was he.

It was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears as I gently cupped his face in my hands, resting my forehead against his. Still, despite his words, I could not help but love him. Adore him, really. He had risked his life to save our city…to save me. How could I not love this stupid, reckless, passionate, brilliant man? Yes, you heard me correct. I consider our hero a man.

Being different wasn't a bad thing for Megamind. It was the ridicule that came along with not following the social conduct. Even after the town's inauguration of him as an official hero, there were still quite a few who didn't trust him. There was no justice for the creative, no safe haven for the weaker ones. There was only hate and brutality from the ones looked up upon. It sucked to be one's self, or in this case, Megamind, who, even after me entering into his life and Minion, God bless that little fish, Megamind always stood outside watching parities or get-togethers, was never offered an umbrella when it rained. He could not join in with the crowd and he never would, claiming I was enough.

He sighed, the anguish and heartbreak in his eyes almost too much for me to bear. "What if they don't…?" he started to speak, but I don't give him a chance.

My lips brush against his, innocent at first, but then our kiss deepens, becomes more passionate, fiery and demanding. Megamind's kiss stole the words I didn't need to say. In the silence, all of our secrets were laid bare, all of our passions and the strange spark of love that existed between us. In that moment, in his love, I was strong. One kiss and I had the courage to do what needed to be done. Perhaps it was the reporter in me, but I never backed down from a challenge. Right now, our challenge was getting through our visit.

His spindly blue fingers, nimble and lean, gently ran up and down my spine, coaxing a shiver out of me. His kisses always caused my body to flush with heat, seeming to travel through my veins and setting my blood on fire.

"Hey," I whisper, my voice quiet and kind, flowing through the room like a soft breeze. I hope it will be enough to reassure my love that everything is fine. "None of that," I encourage. "My parents are going to love you, Megamind." I could tell he wasn't buying it, so I tried again. Lifting his chin upwards slightly and forcing him to look me square in the eyes, I continued. "Babe, you cannot be fully angelic unless you possess the ability to be truly evil. Goodness is a choice. It's feeling the power of darkness and walking the other way, no matter how painful it is for you," I say, noticing the catch in the alien's breath as his brain processes my words. I know how it's been for him since his reform. Megamind struggles with it sometimes still, even with me to support him. He constantly feels the pull of the other side, calling to him, beckoning to return.

Still, he refuses, claiming I am the reason he had to win. I press my lips to his cheek for a kiss and drag him back to the loft, where our bags are waiting. "Your destiny is to lead, Megamind, not from your own demand, but because you are the brightest star in this black night." I grin as he scoff and quirks his brow at my speech. He rolls his eyes and bites his lip playfully.

"Did you write that piece yourself, Roxy?" he asked, his tone light and teasing.

"I did, as a matter of fact," I retort, glancing at the mirror and taking a deep breath, reaching up a slightly trembling hand to brush my bangs out of my eyes. I cringe as I look at my reflection in the mirror. I've never really thought of myself as particularly pretty. I'm okay looking, I guess, but I'm no model. I'm tall, slender, all my curves in the right places. I wear my dark brown short in a cropped pixie. It's been this way ever since I was sixteen, in an act of defiance against my mother, who'd violently protested when I came home that day, my beautiful long locks gone. She had claimed I looked like a boy and had done it on purpose just to spite her. In a way, she was right about the bit about me wanting to spite her. Easier to keep out of the way and less fussing with it when there's a story to hunt down requiring me to be in the field. I enjoy feeling the cool breeze on my neck where there normally would have been hair. I'm lucky Megamind loves it like this, he says he likes to be able to see my eyes.

My skin is pale, my eyes blue. Megamind told me on one of our first dates that he used to believe glacier eyes—blue eyes—were ice cold, that they knew no warmth and never shared love. That's what he used to believe until he met me.

Now he knows the hottest fires always burn blue. I fix one of the white pearl stud earrings and re-clasp it, muttering under my breath as I smooth the skirts of my dress. The dress I've chosen to wear is one my mother inexplicably sent me in the mail, claiming I'd look stunning. For purposes of appeasing everyone, I decided to wear it against Megamind's urging. The babydoll dress is a deep red, knee-length dress with short sleeves, a tiered design with a rounded hem and a wide scoop neck, showing off my prominent collarbones. I frown slightly as I scrutinize my reflection. No doubt, my mom will tell me I'm too peaky, that I'm not eating enough and need to take more. My gaze drifts downwards towards my left hand, where I fidget with the simple gold wedding band on my finger. I'm _really_ not looking forward to this meeting. Megamind and I, we married in secret, just a simple courthouse ceremony. We told no one. The only one in attendance besides the officiant was Minion, who'd acted as best man.

My mother is probably going to kill me that she missed her only child's wedding. However…what could I say? That I was getting married to a man of a popular primary color who was not even from this _planet_? Oh. Yes. That would have gone over _swimmingly_. Megamind had tried to insist to me they come, that I shouldn't deprive my mother of one of the biggest days of my life, but I refused. Megamind, almost as if on cue, can sense my hesitation, comes over to me, snaking his arms around my waist, and rests his chin on my shoulder. "You're beautiful, Roxy," he whispers into my ear. "We should go, yes?"

"Guess we should," I sigh, realizing we can stall no longer. I tuck a stray wisp of my dark chocolate hair behind my ear and made to grab our bags that had been sitting by door, only to find Minion had already taken care of them for us.

"You two need to get going!" the robotic fish chirped happily. "Go on, now, you crazy kids!" he chuckled lightly, seeing the stupefied looks on our faces. I cough once and quickly hide my laughter by covering my mouth with my hand, as I look at Minion in his pink flowered apron, cooking up a Thanksgiving feast.

"Minion, why you insist on cooking when we won't even be here is beyond me!" I laughed, opening my mouth to protest, but before I can finish, Megamind shoves me out the door, hollering a last goodbye to Minion with firm instructions not to burn the place to the ground in our absence.

Megamind catches my eye and winks, starting up the car and beginning the long drive from Metro City to Pennsylvania where my parents live, retired.

As my beloved husband drove, I'm left to stare out the window in silence. The fear traveled in my veins but never makes it to my facial muscles or skin. My complexion remained pale and matt, my eyes as steady as if I were shopping for shoes. Through a swirl of sickening fears comes my mother's voice, condescending and already angry at my decision to marry a literal alien.

All the reasons not to do this come flooding in, as if my body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation, telling them to come on in. I can feel the soft panic that will grow or fade depending on what I do next. It will fade if I back away, there is still time to do Megamind to turn the damn car around right now and go back, but then I have to do this all over again another time, and soon. It will grow if I let these thoughts swirl into a vortex of stupidity, eating their own tail. On the other hand, I can breathe slow, let the thoughts leak into the ether and be the boss. I let my head fall back against the headrest and drift into an uneasy sleep. My half-sleep was plagued with nightmares, dreaming of an invasion in Metro City. The alien ship was in 'stealth mode' entering the Earth's atmosphere and the aliens were all getting ready. They were closing in fast, and they knew that the humans would soon find out about them. Pressing a green button that glowed red after pressing, they tilted the ship downwards and continued closing in. Little did I know that a quick trip to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and new husband would wind up being one of the worst days of my life.


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Tidings

The alien assessed the data on the humanity of this new planet, Earth. The more he read on the humans, the more conflicting it was. Under intergalactic law, no species was allowed to be considered intelligent if they destroyed their home world, no matter how advanced or complex their technologies and medicines were. Yet the humans seemed to have a cornerstone on true intelligence—love, imagination, empathy. The rules dictated the final decision over if they were truly sentient must be decided by a 'stress test' on the most intelligent one. Success meant the others would likely get to the same understanding with some help, failure would mean a mandate for the eradication of the problematic species. First, to find the most intelligent, this diamond in the rough…

The commander stretched out his antennae and tuned into the emotions of the planet and what he felt almost killed him, leaving him gasping for air that simply was not there. There was love and warmth from these humans, but the pain that flowed through was almost enough to fry his neural network. He dissolved into the wall of the spacecraft to mingle with his comrades, who were awaiting their orders. It was not a discussion but a joint feeling they arrived at, their minds acting as one. Either the dominant species had to be re-educated or eradicated. In their telepathic manner of communicating, they selected the best and worst of their species and arranged for a pickup. They never did these things themselves. It was as easy for them as ordering a pizza is for a human in New York City. The aliens summoned their best and most elite squad and transmitted the details. The chosen one, deemed most intelligent, was currently en route to one of humanity's most historical cities, Philadelphia. Her name was Roxanne Ritchie, and given the fact that she had dared to break social norm and marry one of their own kind, an entity from another planet, then she would be the one. She would be the humans' acting ambassador in deciding humanity's fate, if they should live…or be exterminated like all the others prior.

The alien commander's skin was like bark, and it had many green and purple spines on the back that could have been photosynthetic. From its head and limbs, it seemed to emit a bio-luminescent glow. It was bipedal like a human, but it had four arms, two of which seemed to function as hands and two, which seemed to spark as if they were overflowing with static electricity. His voice lingered in his comrades' heads long after their ship had settled out of orbit and in a distant corner of the Earth, hidden from view until they wanted their presence to be known. _Bring me Roxanne Ritchie and the others…I want her alive and unharmed. This one, she is special and must be protected at all costs. She will be humanity's savior, or their undoing...the choice will be hers and hers alone. Bring her to me. Bring me Earth's Ambassador... _

* * *

As the days wane, the nights close in and the trees don their vibrant hues, a chill creeps into the air. Not the bite of wintry blusters, but just a nip to let us know a new season is at hand. The wide avenue is lit by the first rays of the day, shining through a thin layer of grey cloud like a stain glass window. No more are the trees their virescent hues of spring and summer, but are scarlet and gold. In just a few weeks they will stand naked in the frozen air, bereft of their gaiety. Already the usual grey of the concrete sidewalk is adorned with their transient beauty. As I purposely slow my walk up the driveway to my parents' house, I deliberately tread on each one to hear the crunch. Just ahead a leaf tumbles from its weary branch, it twists and rocks as it falls through the almost still air. I pause to listen for the sound it makes as it joins its brethren on the ground, but it is lost in the drone of the traffic. Megamind lingers in the car for a second, waiting for my signal.

I take a deep breath, steeling my nerves, wishing to God there was another way, a way out, but I don't see any way of avoiding this moment. Life can't continue like this.

As I ring the doorbell, my anxiety goes into overdrive, and I pray that perhaps they stepped out for a bit of fresh air, or that Dad forgot to pick up a last minute ingredient for Thanksgiving dinner at the grocery store, so they've gone out. I turn away, and my shoulders tense and my posture stiffens as the door opens, my parents delightedly exclaiming how good it is to see their precious little angel, their little Roxy.

My mother's brown eyes bore deep into mine. I became determined not to be the one to look away first. I was certain that she knew I was trying to hide something, but still, I was determined to fool her. I contorted my lips into an awkward, small little half-smile, but my cheeks were not so compromising. I could feel their reluctance to be molded falsely. When my mother finally averted my gaze to peer out with narrowed eyes at the car, my smile fell lifeless, allowing my face to return to its usual cold hard stare whenever I was around my parents. My mother, looking like a disco ball in red lipstick and platinum hair, wearing her smile and her kind but scrutinizing brown eyes, placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her gaze drifts downwards as she releases me from her hug, a mindless gesture at this point, and scrutinizes my appearance with a careful eye. Her eyes land on the simple gold band on my left hand and practically yanks my hand off in her haste to get a closer look for herself.

"Roxy, what the hell is this? You're _married_? When on earth were you going to tell us?" she demands, her voice taut and rigid, growing tense. Her eyes narrow to practically mere slits. "How could you do this?" she shouts, not noticing how I flinch and squirm away from her touch. I'd expected this. "How could you do this to your own mother?"

Dad, as usual, has a pained look on his weathered face, but chooses to say nothing, for better or worse. My father grew more wrinkled with each day, looking as though he had too much skin to cover his wilting frame. His face had lost its healthy color, fading to an ashy gray, looking as though dust had begun to gather on his slowly rotting body, the longer he spent in my mother's company. I remembered what my father looked like as a powerful man, when he had hair and a strong body. Now, though, Dad had lost his handsome and youthful looks. He was clean shaven and his hair trimmed short, revealing a decrepit mask where every wrinkle, blemish, and imperfection could be seen if you looked close enough. My mother was always the type to criticize Dad's appearance. I hurt when I looked at my father like this. I wanted to remember the mountainous man he had been, the lumberjack he'd been that my mother had fallen in love with. The strong willed and merciful man, the gentle, caring father, the adoring and passionate husband. Yet when I looked at him sideways now to gauge his reaction to my mother's questions, all I could see was a wizened and frightened old man. As I looked at him, I wondered if Dad was more scared of living or of dying as long as my mother was around. You ask me, they should have divorced years ago, they were a mismatch from the start, but Dad chose years ago to make his peace by choosing to stay with my mother after my brother's death, rendering me effectively an only child. Well, their only child was thirty years old and expecting her first baby, so she was going to have to accept this idea sooner rather than later, or else...

_No_, my voice warns me, warning me not to think along those lines yet._ Just...just get through this, introduce them to your husband and go from there. One step at a time. _

Adrenaline floods my system, It pumps and beats like it's trying to escape. I think my heart will explode and my eyes are wide with fear. My body wants to either run fast for the safety of the hills or to the crate of weaponry, but instead I remain where I am. Let's face it, there is really only one thing I can do: Pray no one kills me. My adrenaline surges so fast I almost vomit, I can taste saliva thickening in my throat and beads of sweat trickling down my brow. At some point I'll have to move, and I'll have to live with what I get. But I have to do this. I owe it to myself and Dad at least. And Megamind, of course, who patiently waits in the car, waiting for my signal. He's kept the car invisible just in case we need to make a quick getaway. "That's not all," I say, and I'm alarmed to feel the beginnings of a sheepish grin on my face. "I..." I bite my lip, but decide I have no choice but to just come out with it and tell them the truth. Honesty is the best policy, isn't that what they say? "I'm eight weeks pregnant," I revealed, my voice barely a whisper. "I...thought you ought to know."

The stunned silence of my announcement has rendered my mother and father speechless. I can see Dad's eyes widen to the size of a dinner plate and my mother's face drains of color until it's practically white as chalk, as if she'd seen a ghost. The silence gnawed at my insides, hanging in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground. The silence was like a gaping void, needing to be filled with sounds, words, anything. The silence was poisonous in its nothingness, and I immediately regret relenting after months of Megamind pestering me to make this trip so that he could finally meet my parents, the future grandparents of his-_our_ child. The silence cruelly underscored just how vapid our conversation had become. It was eerily unnatural, like a dawn devoid of the birdsong. Silence clung to the three of us like a poisonous cloud that at any moment could choke the life from them, seeping into our every pore, like a poison slowly paralyzing us from speech or movement.

My mother is the first one to finally break the silence. "How could you do this to us, Roxi? How dare you go out and-and rut with some man like a bitch in heat?" she bellowed, her face turning red the longer she dwelled on the incident, her face nearly inches from mine. Before I even have time to register what's happening, let alone react, her hand cracked across my face, snapping it back with the force of her blow and causing me to stumble backwards. She raises her hand to do it again.

"FRANNIE!" bellowed Dad, finally losing his temper. He seized my mother by her slender, bony wrist and clutched her arm in a vice grip, his eyes tired but fed up. The look of a man who'd lost his patience. "ENOUGH!" he shouted. "I may not approve of this news," he began, his gaze flitting from me to his wife, but he sighed and continued. "But the best thing we can do right now as Roxy's parents is be there for her and support her, no matter what. Face it, Fran, we're going to be grandparents, at long last. You-you've lost yourself ever since James died, and you've been so lost in your grief that you've forgotten about the child we do have left. You've forgotten Roxy. But she remembered," he added, glancing sideways at me, still clutching my still stinging cheek and on the verge of near tears.

My mother glowers at Dad and sighs, sounding exhausted. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, as though she were fighting back the onset of a splitting migraine. "Where...where is your husband, Roxanne?" she croaked hoarsely. "I...apologize for that reaction, I shouldn't have."

I smile, though it doesn't reach my eyes. I turn back to the side street where he'd parked our car and gave a curt nod and a quick thumbs up, the signal for him to come out.

Megamind emerges from our car, looking effortlessly handsome (at least I think so!) in a thick black turtleneck sweater and black jeans and boots. What can I say, black is a good color for him. I turn back to my parents, who are looking beside themselves with shock and outrage, my mother more so than my father. My mother suddenly took on a pale look, as if she'd been painted with white-wash-even her lips were barely there. Then with one step backwards, a hand clamped over her mouth, she crumpled like a puppet suddenly released of their strings, all the strength in her legs leaving her. My father was rendered speechless and did the only thing he could. Without a word, he stooped and carried my mother in his arms inside their Philadelphia townhouse, slamming the door in our faces.

I let out a huff of frustration and brush my bangs out of my eyes. Megamind broke the awkward silence first. "Well, that went even worse than I expected."


	3. Chapter 3: Heated Conversation

I don't give Megamind a chance to protest, dragging him inside my parents' house despite my father's grumblings as my mother stirred uneasily in her armchair. She began to show signs of life again, groggily opening her eyes.

When her brown eyes land on Megamind, her eyes widen in terror.

Megamind raises his hand, fully prepared to use the Forget-Me-Stick.

"NO!" I shout, grabbing the baton out of his hand. I lean in close and whisper into his ear. "We talked about this, Megamind, _later_, don't do this to my mother! Please do your best to keep your cool, Meg, don't lose your temper. Not now," I whisper hissed through clenched teeth, doing my best to ignore the quizzical stare my dad was giving us as he gingerly rubbed my mom's shoulder.

"But she was going to scream again, Roxi! I won't let her hit you again," he snarled angrily through clenched teeth, the normal kindness in those green orbs of his gone as he glowered at my mother from his place beside her armchair. All that remained was cold malice, the shadow of the overlord he once was when he was allowed to run rampant through the streets after Metro Man's defeat. For a moment, the look in his eyes scares me. "_Nobody_ hits my wife and the mother of my unborn child, family or not. I don't care if she is your mother!" he snapped, his tone fuming and his voice dripping with venom as he says the words, that normally, would send my heart into irregular palpitations and cause me to drag him off to someplace more secluded for some much-needed 'alone' time, if you will, but not now. "I _dare_ her to do it again, I'll make her forget she was ever—"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" screeches my mother, her voice sounding like grating nails on a chalkboard. She squirms and shrinks back into her chair as far as she can go. "ROXANNE, WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE?"

"Mom, please don't do this, not now, not today of all days, please…" I plead desperately, closing my eyes and wishing with all my might that I were anywhere else. Put me back in Metro City on a new story, anywhere but here. But no, Perry had insisted on me taking a break, a vacation of sorts…

* * *

I still remember the day I told my boss, Perry, my news. I had strolled into the office, coffee in hand, my replacement press badge still hot in the lanyard sleeve. Kate had given me holy hell for losing it the other day. What can I say, I'm always hot on the tail of a juicy story waiting to be exposed to the world, but not so great at remembering to grab the important things like my press badge that grants me access to on-site stories, our building, and my car keys. Minion's always after me to get better at keeping track of such things, but Megamind has always found it endearing, says it's one of many things he loves about me.

"After all," he had told me. "It's not every day my star reporter marries an alien from another planet and gets pregnant, is it?" Perry had joked, rather jovially too. I had frowned, not wanting the news to spread around the office so fast. "Why haven't you told your parents, yet? This isn't the sort of thing you keep from them."

I had glared at my boss over the rim of my coffee mug, leaning against my desk, my press badge lanyard around my neck. I still remember what I'd worn that day, a white button down shirt and black crisp jeans and boots. My field attire. Not wanting to discuss the details of my personal relationship with Perry, I glare at him and toss my latest article onto his desk. "You cut paragraph three on my piece of the new city hall building. Why?"

Perry chuckled at me from across his desk. "Reason one: it was redundant."

"But it was my favorite paragraph!" I protest, taking a sip of coffee.

"Thank you for giving me reason number two, Roxanne. It fails to become a story and instead turns into a pleasure piece praising your own work. You lose yourself and start letting your emotions seep into the story, when all the readers really want is just the facts," he joked, his blue eyes twinkling over his spectacles at me. "But you are avoiding my question, Roxanne, so don't try to change the subject. We'll get to that later. What of your parents? Why have you kept something so monumental as your marriage and now apparently a pending pregnancy a secret from them?" he demanded incredulously. He glanced down at a stack of papers on his desk. "According to my and HR's records, you haven't taken vacation in quite some time now, Roxanne. A number of years since you joined our station. Why not use some of your accumulated leave before your baby arrives to take a break?"

I cringe, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. I set my coffee mug down on his desk and leaned against the edge of his desk, my arms folded across my chest lost in thought. My gaze drifts downwards toward my left hand, eyeing how the yellow gold of my wedding band shines in the light. Simple, clean and classic.

_Perfect for me_, I thought affectionately, feeling my heart swell with so much love for my husband that I had remembered thinking in that moment; my heart was going to burst. "My parents wouldn't approve," I said at last, my voice pained.

Perry's normally cheerful grin falters and his expression grew solemn. "You don't know that for certain, Roxi," he says, using my nickname. "Don't give me that look, Roxi, you know I speak the truth. Something tells me if your mother were anything like you are, headstrong and stubborn, she would never forgive you if you did not at least go to see them once. Besides," he added sadly, standing and groaning at the stiffness in his joints as he strode over towards his office window to stare out at the vast skyscrapers and endless towers the stretched upwards to the sky, reaching for the stars but never quite making it, he sighed. "In our line of work, time off is a rare thing, and depending on assignment, some reporters never come home," he said gravely, turning to fix me with a hard stare. "You know this, Roxanne. I still haven't forgotten Ollie."

At the mention of my deceased partner's name, I cringe and turn away. "I can't talk about Ollie," I growl darkly, grabbing my coffee mug and storming out of his office. Ollie had been on assignment and had been killed in a car accident. I still haven't ruled it out as an accident. He had been hot on the trail of a money laundering scam in the slums of Chicago, and I believed he got too close to the truth. Someone in the higher ups didn't like his digging up the truth, so they…took care of the problem. By ending his life. I knew the risks when I became a reporter. To me, the news was never simply "the news." It was population control made easy. Something in every home, carefully designed to be addictive and keep the sheeple in their place. Fear and confusion all presented by pretty people the audience would trust. And why not? It became my mission to report the truth and only the truth, not false truths or half-truths distorted with lies. It is my job as Metro City's top reporter to help put the people that I interview at ease. This is only a conversation with an exchange of views that is all this is. Your face is so serious right now; I wish that I could play you a solid 24 hours of good comedy, just to lighten the mood.

"My parents wouldn't approve of Megamind or our decision to have a baby together, Perry, that's why I haven't told them and I don't intend to. They cut me out when my brother died. I was only two years old, but I might as well have died too for all my mother paid attention to me. My father did what he could, but stay out of this, Perry. It's not your business. Leave me be," I snap, feeling the worst of my temper swell to the surface. I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood, not wanting to say anymore on the subject. I could still hear Perry's protests and shouts lingering in the air as he called me back to his office. I ignored him and walked out that day, went home to Megamind...

* * *

My mother bolts up suddenly in her seat, jolting me out of my reminiscing of past events and back to my present reality.

Megamind quirked his brow at me. I can see his mind going a million miles a second, the gears in his heard turning. I know what he's thinking. It's not hard to read his emotions; it's in those eyes of his.

He takes a second to compose himself before he dares to open his mouth to speak to my parents. "Now that we've gotten the…introductions out of the way, yes, I am Roxanne's husband. For the record, I tried to insist she invite you to our wedding a few months ago, but she knew you would react poorly, as you've _clearly_ shown us, so that's why she did not invite you. It was a quiet ceremony, anyways, the way we liked it. You may call me Megamind, but if that's too much for you, then just keep quiet," he snaps, no warmth in his tone. I stare at him, not sure where this harsh bark is coming from. His gaze drifts upwards towards my left eyebrow, where one of my mother's emerald rings had left a mark and I flinch.

That would be why. As his gaze dares to meet mine, I shake my head slightly; just the briefest of nods, and it seems only to fuel his temper more. It's rare that he gets this angry; I've only seen it once, when he was going against Titan, or, as I know him Hal. My former cameraman, Hal, had threatened to kill me, and well, let's just say our favorite alien the color of a popular primary color didn't like that.

Only for so long would Megamind remain calm. After each rant when he allowed his emotions to compromise him, his inner countdown to his next explosion began. That was part of why I insisted he keep the lab down in the cellar. If he needed to blow anything up to calm himself down, well, the steel doors down there were bullet proof and fire resistant. He needed to fight often; part of him craved it, I think. They say that we recreate our childhoods, seek the same dysfunction we came from; in that case, the writing was always on the wall, quite literally.

Megamind's ship when he crashed on our planet landed him right in the courtyard of Metro City's Prison. Fitting, wouldn't you think? After each…episode, Megamind would sometimes wall himself off emotionally, shut me and Minion out, and stonewall us both until he was ready again. He knew I would crumble, have no choice but to try to reach him, to nurture him back to wellness—how else could I find my relaxed life, to feel loved again?

He didn't get this way often, thank God, but when he did…well, let's just say I'm glad we live on the edge of the city, where we can take advantage of the abandoned observatory to diffuse the worst of his temper.

"Mom, Dad," I intervene, instinctively reaching for Megamind's hand and guiding him to the sofa. My mom opens her mouth to protest, but closes it again. She looks like a fish whenever she does this, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly whenever she's stunned into silence. I have no doubt she'd great along great with Minion. "I know you may not approve of my life choices since I left home, this being a rather huge one, I understand that you would be upset with me, but please. If you're going to be angry with anyone, take it out on me," I say, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks and my voice rising slightly, as I prepare for another of my mother's outbursts. "But do not raise your voice or condemn my husband."

"I…" My mom's voice trails off as she regards my alien husband with a hateful eye, and then she widens as she processes my announcement from earlier. "Oh, God," she moaned, rubbing her temples. "You're pregnant," she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What about…well, do I really need to say it?"

I stare, not quite getting it. "What?"

"His…your head is rather huge," admitted my dad, speaking up at long last. His voice sounds raspy, as if he's fighting a cold. "What about your health during the pregnancy?"

If I had thought I was red before, I was mistaken now. "That's…none of your business," I manage lamely, not sure what else to say.

My mother, in a surge of adrenaline, bolts from her chair, practically overturning it in her rage. "Oh, but it is our business when you make it ours, Roxy!" she roared, her face almost as red as mine is. "Your very well-being—your life is at stake with this pregnancy. This decision to mate with this—this monster—is killing you! You two should never have been allowed to marry, it's—it's despicable, Roxanne! And you," she bellowed, turning the worst of her wrath on Megamind, who, surprisingly, was remaining quite calm. I'm the one who's struggling to control my temper. "You should have been killed when you crash landed here! Why our country allowed you to stay is beyond me!"

I stand from my kneeling position by my mom's favorite armchair so fast; it's a blur what happens around me. I don't quite remember what happened next, I just remember lunging for my mother and Megamind holding me back, restraining me and dragging me out of the house, me kicking and screaming, hollering obscenities at my parents.

"Easy, honey," coaxes Megamind gently, whispering soothing nothings into my ear. What little good it does. "Let's—let's go for a walk, get some fresh air. We'll just give them some time, and come back later." He drags me outside and down the sidewalk. "Besides," he grinned, shooting me the trademark Megamind playful smile that he knows I can't resist. "You promised to show me the city."

I sigh, running a hand through my hair, enjoying the crisp fall breeze. It rejuvenates my shattered spirit and seems to breathe new life into me.

"That I did," I say, my voice trembling. When I lift my right hand to study it, it's shaking like a leaf. "Megamind, I am so sorry, I never should have brought you…"

"Hey," he says soothingly, his voice surprisingly calm. "Save that for later," he encourages, pulling me close and cupping my chin in his hand, forcing me to look at him. "Go easy on your parents, Roxy," he says, a pained look in his green eyes as he takes my hand and drags me along, away from the street where I grew up and towards downtown Philadelphia, ignoring the gaping, terrified stares of the people. He shoots me a sideways glance and smiles, his brilliant white smile dazzling and charming, one of many things I love about him. "Besides, it's not every day your only child marries a dashing, handsome devil from another world, is it?" he laughed, raising his eyebrow at me.

"No, I guess not," I smirk, rolling my eyes and pulling him back, snaking my arms around his neck. I don't care if anyone's watching. Let them look. Let the world see our love for what it is—true, real, pure.

His lips brush mine. Not innocently, like a tease but hot, fiery, passionate and demanding. I want to pull away before I lose myself but I can't seem to…In this minty moment, my senses have been seduced and I can no longer think straight. "Roxanne," he whispers slowly, prolonging each letter as if to savor them. I smile, my heart fluttering at his voice as I clasp my hands on either side of his face. Never before has my name ever felt so wonderful a one, I think, as I lean in for another…

* * *

The alien was watching from a seat outside a coffee bar. The device he wore around his wrist allowed him to disguise himself as anyone he wished, provided he touches them first. The first lieutenant of Commander Icos was disguised as a man in his early forties, with dark hair cropped short, a black suit and a pair of black Ray ban sunglasses to disguise his yellow eyes—the only thing his technology couldn't conceal. The first lieutenant's name was Osa, and his gaze was unwavering and unabashed as he watched Ambassador take a leisurely stroll with her husband, an alien from a planet that no longer existed. His gray eyes behind gunmetal sunglasses did not travel up to Roxanne Ritchi's face or down to her flats on her feet, but they followed her as if really focusing on something a couple of feet further away. Perhaps his introspective nature led him to be locked in thought as he observed his target, it was hard to know. But he made no gesture of recognition, no raised hand or stiff nod towards the woman or Megamind. He watched, a satisfied smirk on his lips as the couple quickened their pace to the street corner and the woman melted into the Philadelphia street crowd, but the man, the blue man, stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Good," Osa grunted, standing to his feet and following from a distance. "Makes my job that much easier," he chuckled, and blended into the crowd. Stupid humans, he thought, disgusted. We've been among them for years, hiding in plain sight, and they never even notice. But they will.

"Oh, yes," he whispered, unable to keep the note of excitement out of his baritone voice. "They'll all see soon enough, depending on Miss Ritchi's choice. The world will either be saved, or we'll watch it burn."


	4. Chapter 4: Kidnapped

Beyond the horizon, the sun illuminated the shimmering haze of pollution. In the far distance, the silhouette of the skyline pierced through the warm glow like a jagged mountain ridge. Millions of lights caused the dense mass of skyscrapers glitter. People were needlepoints and cars were blood cells flowing through the veins of the city. Despite the time, the hustle and bustle never came to a halt. The city's residents were off for a movie or to chill out in a smoky jazz bar downtown. The city loves me in ways no person ever has, not even Megamind. It listens to my fierce footsteps, the clicking of my polished heels against its dirty pavements early on a Monday morning. It sees me smile ear to ear when I see the windows on its skyscrapers reflect the orange glow of the afternoon sun. It empathizes with my frustrated groan long past midnight when I can't flag down a taxi to take me home. It hears my satisfied sigh in winter as the first sip of a morning coffee warms my throat and thaws my freezing hands. It celebrates with me when I'm on top of the world and cries for me when life gets hard. The city sees and hears and feels every moment of every day of my life. The city understands.

I spent the entire day showing Megamind the city of Philadelphia, taking him to the Liberty Bell and for a walk in the park, sharing churros in the park. I don't want go back to my parents' house, not after that. He tries to insist on it, but I refuse.

"Love, we drove all this way!" he protests, laughing slightly, but he doesn't seem to be in the mood to argue. "We might as well make an effort, don't you think?"

"We already did," I snap, feeling the beginnings of fatigue start to creep its way into my body. I stifle a yawn, and move to hide it, but it doesn't escape his attentions. He smiles in that little way that he does, that seems to light up his whole face. His smile is that of a warm sunset.

"We should head back," he says, taking my hand and intertwining it with his. "It's late. Our hotel room awaits," he chuckled.

I bite my lip playfully, having to take deep strides to catch up as he walks, seemingly in a hurry. "Who says we have to wait?" I grin as he slips into our invisible car.

I'm a one-man woman, always united in soul and body... and so sex is an expression of love, of the bond, an intimacy that stretches gracefully into the thoughts, dreams and wishes. To be choosy is different from being a prude, for once we are in love, everything we want to do is fun, it's the right kind of play and my imagination is wild. In that split second before his touch every nerve in my body and brain is electrified. It's the anticipation of being together in a way that's more than words, in a way that's so completely tangible.

Before I even get the car door closed, my husband wraps his arms around me from behind. One inhale of his musky scent and I want to turn around. His right hand drops to my thigh, pulling up the skirt of my dress that hangs so loose just above my knees. I couldn't move even if I tried, like his fingers have short-circuited my mind in the best possible way. He turns me around and we tumble to the backseat, his eyes searching mine. I smile and kiss him back as he knew I would. With my lips I feel his mouth stretching wider than it should, fighting between a grinning and kissing. We have done this so many times and it keeps on getting better. When we finish, I drifted into unconsciousness in his arms, and back out as we lay in the backseat. The world around us was a blur, and random images seemed to float aimlessly around in the pool of my thoughts, as though they were being blown about viciously by a tornado. A brief tap on my shoulder momentarily brought me back to the outside world, but after a second, I was once again lost. I could feel somebody—or something—trying to look at me, staring me dead in the eye, but I couldn't keep focus. The whole would simply felt like low resolution, like a body quality movie. Confusion blossomed in my heart and I knew sooner or later, I'd need to wake up and stare reality in the face and face my parents. My parents are not wrong in their assumptions that this pregnancy might very well kill me. Megamind has continuously reassured me that he will not let that happen, but I cannot deny the thought has crossed my mind if I'm going to make it through the other trimesters without any problems. But for now, I lay down my heavy head against my husband's slender chest, and retreated into wallowing blackness, to my dreams.

* * *

It was supposed to be easy. The girl, as long as she remained in Philadelphia, walked the same route at the same time every morning, without her husband, the blue alien. At 6:00am precisely, she always left her hotel room. She would buy a paper on the corner at 6:20, and a doughnut and coffee at 6:30, by 6:45, she would be taking the deserted alleyway as a shortcut to Church Street. That was where Lieutenant Osa jumped Roxanne Ritchi. It wasn't easy. _She_ wasn't easy.

Though she fought him, and made him work for every second, it was over in a second. One minute, the woman was there answering a call on her cell phone and checking her watch, the next gone.

No one saw a thing, no one heard her muffled scream, and no one was alarmed in any way. Quick and painless, the way the lieutenant liked it. His people would be done with her before too long, and he imagined he could have the girl back on the streets before 8pm tonight, if things went according to the Commander's plan.

Lieutenant Osa furrowed his brow and frowned slightly at the gash above her left eyebrow, bleeding and trickling blood down her cheek. The Commander had been firm in his demands—alive and unharmed. Nevertheless, no matter. Nothing a quick clean up couldn't fix.

Pressing a button on a device he wore around his watch that the humans would mistake for a watch, he and the unconscious Ambassador for Earth were instantly transported back to his craft.

Lieutenant Osa stifled a grin as he hoisted the woman in his arms, shifting her slightly and walked inside. The spaceship was entirely organic, but to the unaccustomed eye, it was simply constructed of something iridescent. Yet, like the life that had traveled inside, it was sentient in its own right and any attack on that ship would be a grave act of inter-planetary war. These space travelers were bio-constructed and grown rather than built. Their only engineering was done at the equivalent of DNA level. Now the craft quivered, unsure of the intentions of the dominant native species. Their technology was as crude as their methods and their loud thought processes were crossing the line into paranoia. It may not even be wise to enter dialogue, it was quite possible that the communication would be as useful as trying to teach math to a mouse. The ship transmitted its concerns to the Commander on board, but he was resolute in his duty. Therefore, the ship thought hard about them being on the grass below and that is what the human lifeforms aboard the ship both saw and detected. All but Roxanne Ritchi, who was still heavily knocked out and bleeding.

"OSA!" The lieutenant cringed. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that this planet's ambassador was not to be harmed!"

"Y—yes, sir," he managed. "But—"

The lieutenant didn't get a chance to speak as his prize was effortlessly lifted from his arms, the woman placed on a nearby cot in their medical wing.

"What she will think of us!" Commander Icos roared, his temper getting the better of him. "This is the woman who will decide this planet's—and ours—fates. How will she be able to form an unbiased opinion of us if we brutally attack and beat her? I've told you a thousand times…" He sighed, turning away from his violent, overeager first lieutenant, seeming to get the beginnings of a headache. "Call me when she wakes."

The lieutenant gave a curt nod, his cold yellow eyes fixed on the young woman.

She really was quite pretty, he had to give the Commander that much. He knew how to pick them. He tended to favor the women over the men, and with good reason. "I can't wait to see what your answer is going to be, Miss Ritchi," he snorted, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes and moved to stand guard outside the medical wing, barking orders to the doctor on staff to treat her wounds.

Soon, their race would learn. Or suffer…


	5. Chapter 5: Melancholic with Minion

Megamind felt the panic begin like a cluster of spark plugs in his abdomen. Tension grew in his face and limbs, his mind replaying the last time he had seen his wife. Last night, after a nice slow bout of lovemaking, they had fallen asleep. She often woke up before he did—her schedule as a reporter meant a varied sleep schedule. His breathing became more rapid, shallow. He hit the speed dial on his phone for Roxanne, no answer. He called again, his heart racing faster—no answer. Again—no answer. Again. No Roxy. Megamind's eyes scanned his other contacts and his other panic grew.

Something had happened to her. She always answered his calls, no matter what. The thoughts accelerated inside his head. He wanted them to slow so he could breathe, but they will not. His breaths came out in gasps and he felt like he was going to pass out. His heart is hammering inside his chest as if it belonged to a rabbit running for its skin. The park around him spun so he sat. He tried to make everything slow to something his brain and body could cope with. He felt so sick. He wanted to call the police, but no one would help him. This was not Metro City, it was Philly. He didn't know who to call, what's their number, who to call, too far, she's gone, his wife was pregnant with their baby and she was gone, she went, breathe, gone, what number does he call, too far away. Blackness. Creeping blackness. In seconds, he had collapsed onto a nearby park bench, his only movement the shaking of his hands as he fumbled to call the only person he knew left. Minion. The godsend of a fish picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, sir!" came the fish's polite warm voice. "Are you heading—"

"SHE'S GONE!" he bellowed, his panic finally reaching its boiling point. "My beloved Roxy's been taken to the ends of the Earth, I—I just know it, Minion! We have to do something! Send the Brain Bots, have them do a scan! Call the FBI, CIA, Roxy's work, something. MINION!"

"Sir, sir, hold on a second!" came Minion's polite voice. "You're not making any sense, now what? What do you mean Roxanne is gone, Megamind? What do you mean, 'gone?' That's impossible!" he demanded, irate. Megamind could tell by the distance of the fish's voice in the phone's speaker that the robotic fish was holding the end of his cell phone away from his ear due to his boss's shouting.

"It's seven, Minion! She was supposed to be here at seven to meet me for breakfast before we tried to reconcile with her parents! No call, Minion! Roxy didn't call. SHE ALWAYS CALLS, MINION! She's dead. Gone. There's a—a pile up, there must be. She's hurt. She's bleeding, she needs me and I'm not there! I want to hold her hand, she mustn't die alone on the dark highway!" he bellowed, feeling his panic swell to the surface and bile creep upwards into his throat. He swallowed the acidic tasting bile and continued his constant dark swirl of thoughts, not giving Minion a chance to interject. "I—I need to call someone. Call the police, the hospitals. She's hurt. Our car is old, the airbags must have failed. She's bleeding out and no one knows. My—my wife, Minion. She's my world aside from you, I—I can't breathe, can't walk, Minion!"

"SIR!" bellowed Minion's voice over his stringed slew of panicked thoughts. "I need you to be _calm_, okay? Just…breathe. I'm sure Miss Ritchi probably just forgot to charge her phone. Wouldn't be the first time. I'd give it another hour or two before you start calling anyone," he said thoughtfully. "Besides, police don't typically file a missing person report until she's been missing twenty four hours!"

"TWENTY FOUR HOURS?" he shouted, hardly daring to believe the fish's words. "IS THAT SOME KIND OF SICK JOKE? WE DO _NOT_ HAVE THE TIME! Oh, Minion, if this is another one of your horrible pranks, I am going to _kill_ you, Minion!"

"SIR!" retorted Minion, growing impatient now. "I must ask you to get a grip on yourself, sir! If this is _really_ bothering you that much, I'll send the Brain Bots out to do a scan of Metro City, Philly, and anywhere else in our general region."

"Do it," he said, sighing wearily, the worst of his temper evaporating. "Now!"

He ended the call with a bit more force than was perhaps necessary, flipping his phone shut so hard the screen cracked.

Megamind took a deep breath and closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the terrified stares of passerby in the park around him. They must have seen the worst of his meltdown. Here he was, without his wife, in a city where he doesn't belong, his wife's parents loathe him, despise him for what he is and the suffering he's brought on Roxanne, trying his hardest to go on with his life and trying to be someone he wasn't sure he wanted to be. "I can't recognize who I am today," he thought, anguished.

In times of stress like right now, he started missing the old Megamind again. He missed himself, the place he called home, the feelings he had back then. He hated it. He hated himself for this; he didn't want to keep missing those days like there was nothing wrong with them.

There were many things that were not how they should have been, things he was glad they were finally over, but…why did he keep missing it? Was he really so messed up that he missed the empty nights, the feeling of never being good enough? Or was it that he was too scared of the future and potentially being alone that he keep getting back all the good feelings he could rescue from his memories of those years of being bad?

"I don't know," he muttered aloud through gritted teeth. "The only thing that's clear to me is my wife is missing, and right now, I'm missing the villain that I was, even though I hated that hopeless creature I'd become back then before Roxanne became mine, and Titan…"

The realization hit Megamind like ice water in his veins, dousing his blood and running it cold. "HAL!" he roared, bolting to his feet and wasting no time running for the invisible car. "I should have known!" he hissed, violently wrenching opening the driver's door, not even bothering to fully close the door before taking off. Their invisible car sat low to the ground and its wheelbase was wide for stability. It was a car yet so different to anything he could have obtained at a local dealer, or even that outlet in Romania. Engineered to be powerful and designed to offer the least wind resistance. It hugged the turns on the streets like the wheels were glued down and when Megamind pressed down on the accelerator flooring it back to the interstate to head back to Metro City, he felt the sheer power of their car, the g-force. "Minion!" he shouted into his cell phone, having pressed the fish's speed dial so fast his hands were shaking. "Send a Brain Bot to Metrocity Prison!" he ordered.

"Metro City Prison," Minion corrected lightly, but hearing his master's roar of outrage, he apologized. "My deepest apologies, sir. Right away, sir. What…?"

"I think our old pal Hal has something to with Roxy's disappearance," growled Megamind, relinquishing his grip on his cell phone as he drove, weaving his way in between the cars. "I wouldn't put it past the bastard," he hissed. "Who else wants to see me suffer more than him?"

Minion would have laughed at the idea were it not for the desperation in the alien's voice. "You…sir, do you think this is wise?" he asked cautiously. "You're emotionally compromised, I cannot suggest this as a good idea, sir! What if you do something you regret? What—"

"MINION!" Megamind bellowed into the phone, feeling like his foot was made of lead as he pressed down on the gas pedal, making record time in his drive back to Metro City. "JUST DO IT! Roxanne is missing, and she's pregnant! If there's anyone who knows what happened, it's him! Hal is a slimy little worm, he did this!"

"And what if he didn't, what then, sir?" challenged Minion, his face coming into view on the stereo's dashboard. Their car had built in cameras everywhere for security purposes. "You'd be beating up an innocent man, sir! I cannot endorse it!"

"_Innocent_?" laughed Megamind, rolling his eyes. "Oh, he's far from innocent, Minion!" he yelled. "He took Roxy, I'm sure of it, and I'm going to find out where!" he snarled, shutting his phone closed and throwing it on the passenger seat. He sighed, taking a deep breath and willing his emotions to calm down. The thought of his lovely wife in the clutches of someone like Hal was repellant. "Just hang on, Roxy," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly as he honked his horn in irritation at a semi-truck in front of him. "I would dedicate my every song to you; think about you even when I would be dreaming. I wanted you all to myself. This was neither love nor obsession; it was my fear of losing you, and it's come true today. Nevertheless, what I cannot handle is the thought of losing you forever. The fear of mine is what brought us together. I am afraid this fear is also going to be the one thing to make us fall apart from each other if I cannot find you, Roxy. Just the thought of being away from you breaks my heart. I hope you never leave me alone because then my fear, it will own me and turn into hatred and loathing."

Megamind drove in a mad fury, not stopping until he reached Metro City Prison. "Hal, I'll make you pay for this..."


	6. Chapter 6: Frequent Kidnapping Card

No doors. No windows. No way out. Every minute hell. I can hear something that sounds like a clock ticking by. It rings out, its echoes penetrating the stillness of the stuffy air that presses down, suffocating.

Twelve. I have missed lunch, and Megamind is probably wondering where I am. No doubt, he has gone into panic mode and alerted Minion to my absence. Looking around me, all I see is an indefinite expansion of pure white space, white walls. You could run forever and never get anywhere, never make progress. No light. No shadows. Just the colors of blinding, empty white. Though there appears to be nothing but empty space around, I get the feeling of suffocation, as if my lungs are caving in.

I am trapped, imprisoned here, in my own mind. I woke up, and my clothes are gone. I don't know who did it, but somebody changed my clothes while I was unconscious. I wake up in unfamiliar garb, a brilliant white maxi dress made of rayon and polyester fit for a queen. The breezy woven rayon draped into a sultry surplice bodice, framed by fluttering short sleeves. The wrapping maxi skirt was secured with two adjustable two ties at the waist, and all it took was one kick of my leg to reveal the leg slit in the dress. What the hell? Did my captors have a crush on me or what? Did they not see the wedding ring on my finger? Don't they get it? And why? Is it for some—some sacrifice? My shoes are gone, leaving me barefoot and freezing cold as I huddle in the corner, my gaze drawn to the white tile beneath my feet. Do my captors plan to kill me? Sadness sits an inch below my face, remaining dry, my expression impassive. I will not give my captors the satisfaction of seeing me upset. I know that if I let even a fraction out, then the rest will follow a never-ending torment of grief and fear.

They took me. I don't know who they are or what they want, but they're not human, I know that much. The men might look human, but it is their eyes that give away what they truly are. Yellow eyes the color of brilliant topaz, cold, lifeless. Evil.

They took me and my freedom, all to warn the others not to fight back. This white padded prison room would be the last thing I ever saw. The alien guards that tried to beat me would give me my final feelings and the flickering white bulb above me would be the last light I ever felt. This—this prison just wasn't the kind of place where they let prisoners like me walk out of and go free, every capture a death sentence, no exceptions. I know it.

There's nothing in this tiny white cell but my own heartbeat. At times, I hit the iron bars with my wedding ring on my finger, just to hear something different, to make a tune. Then the futility of it all hits me. I can imagine music all I want, recollect sunny days and picture wide-open spaces, but these walls aren't crumbling any century soon. The only time I am allowed to leave is the interrogation room, and even then, I never see a face. The questions are delivered by a disembodied and distorted voice. I used to think that if I ever was captured while on assignment in the field, that I would be brave and stoic. Apparently not, however. I can either talk, converse, use my mind—or lose my mind. It's been a day, at least, judging by the chimes of that old clock.

My mind goes into overdrive. Where's Megamind? Is he safe? Is he still in Philly, or has he hightailed it back to Metro City and started the hunt for me? He won't find me, my alien captors have made that perfectly clear. Not until they want to be found. Will I even get a trial? Did I do something wrong, is that why I'm being held captive like this? Here I am, trapped in a room with no window, no table, no chair. Not even one thing that might bring me comfort. I had only my insistence for comfort. I wish I had my cell phone so I could call Megamind for help, and even if I did, would it get reception in here? Would that be enough? If I do get a trial, when is it scheduled for? Today, tomorrow, a year from now? Despair creeps over me. This couldn't happen to me, could it? Could it?

What an unforgiving place this is, with nothing more to hold except my human mind within it. Humans can live without freedom, can sway in fantasies, they can create their own stories and fantastical realities, they can fly, soar in dreams, jump off the tallest ledges and survive—in their own imaginations. But they can never escape, no matter how hard they try, the prisoners can never outrun their own conscious thoughts; they haunt and yell, scream in the back of their mind, until they blur and mix; leaving them to rip out their own hair, for a chance of relief. Imprisonment leaves you with yourself. Alone with just you for company, and that's when the other part of you starts to speak, blathering, arguing with your own thoughts, screaming for attention. And that's when prison breaks you, leaving you to break yourself. Until there is no more you, but a shell, a hollow one, without life, without spirit. Without anything, really, and if that's my future—

My thoughts are interrupted as one of my alien captors just waltzes right through the wall, materializes as though it is nothing. My first instinct was to scream, but I bit back the urge and fought it.

I will not give them the satisfaction.

The being—a human man in his forties, or that's what he would _have_ me believe—is handsome enough, with short dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. He presses a button on his watch and I can only gape in awe and surprise as two chairs seem to beam down out of thin air—like something out of Star Trek, Beam me up, Scotty, and get me the hell out of here.

"You can relax," he says, smiling softly and peering at me over his aviator sunglasses. His black suit is immaculate and neat, his black dress shoes practically spotless.

"How can I relax?" I demand angrily, taking a deep breath and willing the tremors in my voice to quell. They will not see my fear. "You've kidnapped me here against my will, which, by the way, you forgot to stamp my Frequent Kidnapping Card!" I shout, hoping a joke will alleviate the tension. The man just stares blankly.

"Didn't you know?" the dark-haired stranger drawled, almost sounding bored as he pulled up a chair and sat on it, straddling it backwards as he picked at his nails. "We discontinued that promotion," he leered, jeering at me.

My blood turns to ice. "You know Megamind?" I ask, dumbfounded and perhaps for the first time in my adult life, I am at a complete loss for words.

But the man shook his head. "Not personally, no, but we've been…shall we say, keeping tabs on him. And you," he added dryly, fixing me with an ice cold stare, his blue eyes turning to glaciers.

"Why?" I challenge hotly, gingerly rising from my spot in the corner and taking a seat. I tug on the skirts of my white dress and flash a little bit of leg. If it's seductive they want, then they'll get it. "And what's with this?" I demand, gesturing to the dress. "What did you do with my clothes?"

"They're safe," he chuckled. "They were unsuitable for Earth's Ambassador, my dear,' he said lightly, the beginnings of dare I think it, a kind smile tugging on his lips. "No, Earth's spokeswoman deserves better, wouldn't you say, Miss Ritchi?"

My brain stutters for a moment and my eyes take in more light than expected. Every part of me goes on pause while my thoughts struggle to catch up. "What?" is all I can manage to squeak out weakly.

The alien lieutenant regards me in silence for a moment, rolling my eyes at the lock of shock on my face. I can practically feel my face draining of color until it's ashen. He doesn't speak to me again, merely comes up behind my chair and binds my hands to a pair of handcuffs to the back of my chair. "What the hell? I shout angrily.

"For your own good, Miss Ritchi," he says calmly, ignoring my protests. "So you and I can have a friendly little conversation." He pauses, his blue eyes drifting downwards towards the leg slit of my white dress. He grins, no warmth in his smile and runs his human hands up my leg. "You're an excellent reporter, Miss Ritchi," he says to me, a note of something in his tone, but I cannot quite place what it is. Intrigue? Lust? I have no clue, and frankly, I do not know that I want to. "Ah," he replied silkily with some form of amusement in his voice, his voice smooth, melodious and rich. "I can see it in your eyes," he complimented, silently praising me for the fact that my gaze has become steel and never backed down from his, despite my body's involuntary reaction to his gentle touch. Despite my hatred for my captor, I can feel the heat pooling in my legs. It has been at least a day since I was last near Megamind, and to say that I missed him was a great understatement.

"What are you doing?" I hissed through clenched teeth, wanting so desperately to spit in the man's face. "Get off of me!"

"You're trying to remember your training," he chuckled, running his fingers up along my leg, the tips of the man's fingers wandering upwards and barely grazing my jawline and the curve of my ear. He cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my head to the side, seemingly studying my looks, scrutinizing them. "What's your training to cover _this_?"

I shoot him what I hope is a charming smile, one meant to throw him off. "What makes you think this is my first time?"

The captor kicks the chair he had been occupying over towards me so he can sit across from me. "It isn't," he retorted. "We have brought you here, Miss Ritchi, because you have captured our attention. You are an incredibly gifted and talented young woman, and you…married one of us," he says, adding that last bit almost as an afterthought. "Why?" he asks, and I cannot detect any note of malice or hate.

Just curiosity, and for a second, it throws me off guard. "Why did you marry him?"

"He makes me laugh." The words were out before I can stop myself. "And he's handsome. He…he accepted me for who I am, not for who everyone else wanted me to be," I say, hearing the shift in my voice as it grows softer as I remember the night he asked me to marry him.

"I see," he mutters, sounding like he's growing lost in thought. "Your planet isn't the first one we've visited," the man confesses, suddenly sounding pained.

"Oh, look, he _feels_. How endearing." My tone is bitter and hard, perhaps more so than I would like it to be, and he knows it.

The man in black shades glowers at me. "When the final days for you humans of Earth will come, they will come out in droves to plead their innocence. We've seen it before," he adds, seeing my confused, horrified stare. "Extermination of a species is an unpleasant business, Miss Ritchi, and even more so when the dominant species of said planet is sentient, like yours. But the people on the last planet we inhabited for a hundred years so we could study and observe their ways weren't the only sentience species on that world, and the law of Galaxy 5 has to be applied. Roxanne, may I call you that?" he asks me, suddenly curious.

I sigh, reaching up a hand to tuck a strand of dark brown hair behind my ear. "I guess so. At this stage, what harm can it do? Call me whatever you want," I reply.

He nodded. "Good. Roxanne, then. The people on the last planet had been sent the required number of messages through our "prophets," despite their penchant for killing our kind," he snapped angrily, looking away as a muscle in his jaw twitched. "And then the entire population cried, "It wasn't us! We just did what we had to in order to survive!" The deadpan, stoniness in his voice makes me wonder how many times this alien race has done this. Ten times? A hundred? A million?

The dark-haired man with the brilliant blue eyes glanced my way once during his monologue and chuckled, as if he could read my thoughts. "Five hundred," he answers quietly, his voice almost inaudible. "Our commander would address the entire race before his final decision. He would tell them, "You all voted with your tokens system—money—every single day. You bought products made with the sweat of children and slavery. You preferred factory farmed meat to lentils and herbs. You abused your own kind—killed them, waged war after war despite being told not to kill. You have run your economics to the degradation of this planet, all other species, and even your own. We gave you countless warnings, and you ignored them all. Remorse is easy when you face annihilation but it does not last long. Real change is boring. If you all were not so desperate to get to your so-called 'heaven', you would have realized that you are already there. So, here we are, one last attempt to save Earth—whether you like it or not, Miss Ritchi, and you will be helping us decide not only all of humanity's fate, but my brothers and sisters as well. Oh yes," he adds smugly, noticing the shocked look in my eyes. "We've been hiding among you as humans for years, and you've never even noticed."

"You _cannot_ do this!" I beg, feeling the beginnings of tears well in my eyes despite my every effort to hold them back. Damn pregnancy hormones. I hate this. "You—this isn't fair, what can I do to—?"

However, he continues as though I had not interrupted. "We are not cruel, Miss Ritchi. There will not be any pain to your end. It will be just the same as before you were born. It is the only way to save it."

"There has to be another way!" I plead, my tears coming fast and strong now. "There…humanity is good, I'll show you!"

He paused, a light seeming to ignite in his blue eyes as he lowered his sunglasses and looked at me for a moment in silence.

"We have chosen you as Earth's Ambassador, Roxanne Ritchi. We have been studying you the last ten years. You will decide for yourself over the next three days if you believe humanity deserves a second chance. You will undergo a series of tests, and if, by the end of it, you have convinced me and my colleagues that your beautiful planet that you have made wretched with your wars and famine and lack of love and compassion deserves a second chance, then we shall reconsider. Nevertheless, if not, well…you'll all be exterminated."

The man says nothing further to me, and turned to leave, but not before I called out to him. "Wait!" I scream, suddenly desperate to keep him here. Anything, a moment longer, just to see... "What's your name?" I can tell my question has surprised him.

"Osa," he said hesitantly.

"Why are you…human? What does your true form look like? Can you show me?" I ask, my curiosity getting the better of me. I cringe at the dark look he gives me, and I wonder if I have overstepped my boundaries by asking this of Osa.

"I would only frighten you, Miss Ritchi," he answers coldly, his blue eyes ice.

The humanoid-alien called Osa leaves me alone once again, with nothing but my thoughts and the white padded walls of my prison cell for company. "Oh, God…"

The dread creeps over me like an icy chill, numbing my brain. In this frozen state, my mind offers me only one thought. It's today. There is no avoiding it and I feel like a cow being herded into a truck for the slaughterhouse, only the cow doesn't know where it's going and I do. I'm dead.

Dread creeps down my spine like a careful spider leaving a trail of intricate silk. I can feel her cold feet on my skin, descending until I am almost frozen to the spot. My stomach is full of lead, my feet set in concrete. My mind, despite the knowledge that now the entire fate of humanity rests squarely on my shoulders, is worryingly empty. All I can do is pray things slip into place when I take the hot seat in two days' time, when finding the answers matters. The world is counting on me. No pressure, right…? Right…

I fumble with the skirts of my white maxi dress, hoping that somehow, Megamind and Minion have found a way to come find me and get me out. "If I ever get out of this, Megs, you are _so_ stamping my Frequent Kidnapping card until it's full, and giving me a much-needed vacation," I mutter darkly under my breath before an uneasy sleep consumes me, temporarily making me forget about the immense amount of pressure I'm under to determine if my very own race will be allowed to live in three days...


	7. Chapter 7: A Visit with Hal

It took all of Megamind's resolve not to throw himself into Hal Stewart's prison cell and not strangle the bastard where he sat in the corner. He gave a curt nod to one of the guards one duty, who'd leaned back in his chair, his feet resting on the card table as he watched the reformed alien overlord confront prisoner Hal Stewart and former villain, Titan himself. The guard's name was Ramirez. He turned to his partner and chuckled. "Maybe he'll kill him," he laughed. "Lord knows he's wanted to, after everything…"

"Easy, Megamind," warned the Warden, a stern man with his lips currently pursed into a thin line as he glared at the savior of Metro City. "Don't want to wind up back in there with him, do you?" he chuckled gruffly. His gray mustache bristled slightly as his lips twitched as he fought back the beginnings of a smile.

"No, sir," he agreed, doing his best to remain civil to the Warden, but it took all his efforts to keep from wrenching open the cell door and strangle Hal where he stood, jeering at Megamind from the corner.

"What are you doing here, Megamind?" Hal demanded haughtily, absentmindedly playing a deck of cards in the dark corner of the cell, only occasionally glancing up at the little TV in his cell, his only connection to the outside world. His prison cell was a hollow cube of concrete, one way in, no windows. In there, he could have no idea how much time had passed, or even if it was night or day. It was totally disorienting by design. Given enough time, a person could forget their own name in there. The isolation was total and the stimulation zero. No sound other than the TV with its limited channels, no light, no furniture of any kind, save for a lumpy old cot. It was all Hal could do as an inmate to feel the cool walls, but even they were smooth, sleek.

"Roxanne," he snarled through clenched teeth, his blue fingers almost turning purple as he clutched onto the bars of Hal's cage. "What have you done with her?" he demanded. "TELL ME, HAL!"

Hal Stewart looked genuinely surprised. The year spent in prison had not been kind to Hal. Prior to being arrested, he had been so fat that even his chin had chins. They had seemed to have a life of their own, wobbling independently as he talked or ate; frequently he did both at the same time. Now, Hal was thin.

He would have been white if not for the freckles on his face. There were so many, his face was brown with small pale specs here and there, like the tips of grass struggling to show through the golden-brown leaves of fall. His hair was a perfect mop of red, it would have been lion like had he not been so skinny. His orange prison jumpsuit clung where it shouldn't and hung loose where it shouldn't. Hal Stewart sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor of his prison cell, his knees jutted out sharply as he made a play for one of the spades. The alien took in Hal's face for as long as he dared, skeletal really. No one's cheekbones should stick out that far. His face had no trace of life other than not being blue from the cold of his cell.

_Surely, he must feel it_, thought Megamind, feeling slightly guilty as he looked at the man. It was partially his fault the man was here. Okay, okay, it was his entire fault, really. If he had not been insistent on creating a superhero to ease his melancholic state, Hal Stewart might not have been a bad person, but the man had been tempted by the dark side, something Megamind was all too familiar with.

Thank God, he had Roxy to curb that side of him, but if he couldn't find her soon, there's no telling what would happen…

"Don't lie to me, Hal Schtewart," he growled, purposely mispronouncing Hal's name just to tick him off. He stifled his smile of satisfaction as Hal's eyes darkened. It was working. "I know you kidnapped Roxanne somehow. How'd you do it? Whom did you bribe? TELL ME!"

Hal Stewart said nothing, merely surveyed Megamind over the rim of the playing cards he held in his hand. Megamind's green eyes drifted to Hal's fingers, and he visibly cringed, distressed.

Hal's fingers were long and slender, thin and frail from so much weight loss, shaped by prominent phalange bones and knotted where the joints curled around the edges of each long and short bone in his hands. There was no muscle definition or fat definite and his skin was the only layer of dust so fine over the white under.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Megamind, really," said Hal Stewart airily, with indifference. He couldn't resist adding in a quip of his own. "Perhaps Roxanne couldn't handle the pressure of being married to a _monster_ like _you_. It wouldn't surprise me if she dumped you."

"She wouldn't!" he shouted, feeling his cheeks flush hot as his temper swelled. Megamind turned to the guard, no warmth in his green eyes. "Let me in."

"Sorry, Megamind," apologized Ramirez, truly looking sorry for the alien. "It's against regulation, you know that."

The guard eyed Hal Stewart with a look of disgust. "He's been here this whole time, Megamind," he said suddenly, as if he could read the distraught husband's thoughts. "Not allowed contact with the other prisoners, kept under constant surveillance so there's no way he could have kidnapped Roxanne, if she is—"

His sentence was cut off as a burst of static on the TV in Hal's cell interrupted whatever the guard had been about to say next.

A man's face came on the air, a pale man in his early forties with a face that looked like it had been pistol-whipped a time or two in his days, although there was no mistaking his eyes. Brilliant yellow topaz.

"He's not human," muttered Megamind under his breath darkly, glaring up at the TV screen, waiting for the man to speak.

"This is a worldwide broadcast, currently airing on every television, every radio, and every podcast. There will be no interruptions during this transmission. Good people of Earth, my people have come to your planet in its darkest hour," he began, his voice a deep baritone, yet somehow soothing. This was a man, no, an alien, that could easily be your friend but could turn on you in an instant. "We have been living among you for years, and you've never even noticed," he said, his voice almost sounding condescending. "You have ignored our warnings to treat this planet and your own species with kindness, and now, in three days' time, your fate rests on the shoulder of this woman—" he said, and the camera shifted and cut away to reveal Roxanne, looking distraught and defeated, not like her at all.

"Roxanne," whispered Megamind, his voice cracking slightly, his fingers gripping the bars of Hal Stewart's cell door tightly. "Where did they take you?"

However, the video feed did not linger on her face long enough or her surroundings for Megamind to get a close enough look at where the aliens might have taken her.

The camera cut back towards the man's face before Megamind's calculating mind could even begin to process where his wife might be being held. "Damn it," he hissed through gritted teeth and waited for the man to resume speaking again.

The man with the unhinged yellow eyes smirked, rendering all of Metro City's citizens uneasy. "This woman, Roxanne Ritchi, is the most intelligent of your species we have encountered yet. She has an understanding that you cannot even hope to _begin_ to comprehend. Because of this fact, and her…unique relationship with the very savior of your beloved city, we have chosen her as your planet's ambassador. She will undergo a series of tests, and if, at the end of it, we are pleased with her answer as to why we should allow your planet to survive, we will leave in peace. But if not, well…your deaths will be relatively quick and painless, and this planet will be left uninhabited, given a fresh chance to start anew without you humans defiling it," he muttered, almost sounding amused as he no doubt could hear the screams of the people in the streets and violent protesting from some of the more braver ones. "Three days, people of Earth. Three days for Miss Ritchi to change our minds, and then you better pray I agree."

The transmission ended with a brief burst of static before the regular programs resumed. Megamind staggered backward and fell into a chair that Ramirez quickly kicked underneath him to catch his fall.

There was hope before. Just a tiny flicker against the wind. In that moment, the alien life form had a choice of kindness or cruelty, to let his wife go and leave this planet in peace. It took no time at all for him to decide. He had seen the dying ember in Roxanne's eyes and brought the winds to a cold howl. How it was the man's thinking was so different than his own? So…well, _alien_? How was it that he saw the suffering and chose to make it worse?

Ramirez regarded the blue alien with a carefully trained eye, one hand hovering on his baton and Taser, just in case. His green eyes had frozen over like the surface of a winter puddle, robbing them of their usual warmth. He was in there, the guard knew it, but it is as if he just took a huge step back from life with his wife kidnapped. He had seen this look before, in the other inmates, when they had everything taken away from them and nothing left to lose, how they would quickly whiplash from despair to destruction. The guard knew Megamind had always kept pain inside, but now it was visible on his face and Ramirez wished it would go away. Ever since the alien's reform and his marriage to Miss Ritchi, he had changed for the better…

Now, though, the guard knew as he watched the alien storm out of the prison block without a word to anyone, shutting down mentally and ranting to himself, he knew that he did not ask for it—it arrived just like the gift you never wanted.

"God speed to you, Miss Ritchi," Ramirez muttered under his breath as he let his hand fall to his side and resumed his rounds. "The world needs you, Roxanne. And so does your husband. He needs you."


	8. Chapter 8: Problems with Perry

"Jesus Christ on a pony, what has Metro City gotten itself into now? Roxanne, wherever they're keeping you, do _not_ go the way of Ollie," muttered Perry darkly, his cigarette still clamped in his mouth. He sighed exasperatedly and shuffled the piles of stories on his desk, barely visible beneath all the submissions that were awaiting his approval or rejection. "You're stronger than that, kid. Don't tell them anything, no matter what they do to you. You can fight this, kid, I just know you can do this. We're counting on you."

But none of those mattered now. His favorite prize star reporter had a daunting task ahead of her—not only were those—those creatures—probably torturing her, but they had rested the entire fate of their planet solely on her. Roxanne Ritchi was good, but she wasn't _that_ good. Perry hoped she would remain stoic. "You're a tough nut to crack, Ritchi, keep it that way," he murmured softly, swiveling his chair to the front of his office just in time to see Miss Ritchi's husband, looking every bit the broken soul that Perry had imagined him to be. "Well, well, if it isn't the defender of Metro City himself," he said lightly, taking note of the dimming ember in the alien's brilliant green eyes as he stepped inside Perry's office without waiting to be invited. "I've never had the pleasure of meeting you face-to-face, but there's no time like the present, I guess. Pleasure is all mine. Name's Perry Reed, no, not 'read', like read a book, although wouldn't that be fitting, given where I work," he chuckled, leaning back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk and resting his head in his hands, savoring the break.

"You're Roxanne's boss," he said, sounding slightly hesitant as he took the seat, looking melancholy and beside himself. The poor man looked like he was about to have a panic attack.

"That I am, Megamind, that I am," he said softly, nodding his head in agreement and taking the time to light another cigarette. "What can I do for you? I take it you saw that wonderful little display our…friends saw fit to grace our television screens with?" he sneered, quirking his brow at the blue alien seated across from him.

"With all your resources, and you're one of few people that know Roxy—I—I mean Roxanne best, is there no way you might have a way to point me where they might have taken her. What was she working on? She—she doesn't talk much about her work, but I—I know she had a partner," he stammered, quickly correcting himself as he fidgeted with the simple gold band on his spindly blue finger. Perry noticed with some affection that had the alien a mind to, he would have been made an excellent piano player, he those 'piano man' fingers. The way he said partner suggested the alien was jealous of his wife's partner. Perry snorted and laughed.

"Ollie," he said at last, sighing, shifting his chair the other way, pushing himself off his desk using his foot. "I'm surprised she hasn't told you, his death affected her greatly. But why wouldn't she tell you? Well, it matters not," he added, seeing the dark look in Megamind's eyes. "Anyways, that's not the point. Where was I?"

"Ollie," reminded Megamind gently. "He died?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you. Ollie was her partner before that buffoon Hal Stewart came along, and he went away on assignment to Chicago one week and didn't come home. He was killed in a car accident, though Roxanne doesn't believe the cause of Ollie's death was an accident. She—"

"Thinks he was murdered," finished Megamind, sounding resigned. "I figured as much. Guess that explains why she wouldn't talk to me much of what she does whenever she's here," he muttered.

"Mmm," grunted Perry, not wanting to dwell too much on Ollie's death. "Say, where's that robot fish of yours? Maniac is it?" he chirped, looking interested.

"Minion," snapped Megamind, sounding sitting up straighter in his chair, sounding slightly defensive of his friend and guardian. "What about Minion, Mr. Reed?"

"Please," snorted Perry, waving away his comment with a wave of his hand. "Call me Perry, Mr. Reed was my father," he joked lightly, his smile faltering when the alien's green eyes narrowed and grew cold. "Right. I was hoping he would be here. Would love to get a quote from you both, what it's like being the savior of the city, married to my star reporter and all. We don't see you two out here much these days, Megamind," he added, almost scrutinizing the alien for this little fact.

"Yes, well, I've had…more important matters to deal with," he said airily, suddenly growing uncomfortable in the editor's presence. Something felt off.

"Like the fact that you're going to be a father?" he challenged sardonically, quirking a thick brow the alien's way.

Megamind's face practically blushed purple at the query. "Uh, well…"

"You can save it," retorted Perry airily. "Roxy's told me everything; let me tell you have one hell of a woman for a wife, kid. Any man would be lucky to have her for a partner, so you had better take good care of her. Starting with her little…_problem_. What are you going to do about it?" the editor grilled the alien, leaning forward on his desk, his elbows on the surface, his fingers weaving together between his knuckles, a nervous habit of his, Megamind noticed, rather uncomfortably.

"I've got my Brain Bots scouring the city, scanning for any signs of lifeforms, any trace of the alien's craft, their mother ship. I have a feeling they're keeping her there."

"I see," said Perry slowly. "And what then? You'll just…bust down their door and demand they release your pregnant wife? What happens if they don't cooperate?"

The head editor almost regretted asking the question when Roxanne's husband lifted his head to glare at Perry, and just for a second, the editor could see the shadow of the villain the alien had once been pass over his face. It frightened him.

"Then I'll kill every last one of them until there's nothing left. _They took my wife_," he snarled through clenched teeth, standing up from his chair so fast he overturned it. He looked like livid; his blue face practically purpling in anger the longer his mind dwelled in his dark place. "They crossed a nonnegotiable line when they kidnapped Roxanne, and I'm not going to stop until she's back home with me."

"Good," said Perry solemnly, not bothering to rise from his desk to show the alien out, as he was already retreating. "Oh, Megamind, one more thing…your wife, she has…a rather absurd amount of unused vacation and sick time accrued. Should she—we—get out of this little situation unharmed; see to it she takes a nice long vacation, won't you? Even before your baby is born. I insist, sir."

Megamind paused, seemingly stunned and at a loss for words. Then he nodded and for the first time in the editor's presence, the alien smiled genuinely. Perry felt his shoulders slump as he relaxed, and then realized surprisingly that he hadn't been aware he was so tense, but then again, it wasn't every day you had a conversation with an honest to God alien then, was it? No. It was not. He sighed as the blue alien left without another word, and turned his attentions back to the stack of papers on his desk before with one swift sweep of his arm scattering the entire stack to the floor. None of these stories mattered now, not when his star reporter was being held hostage and the fate of Metro City, not to mention the rest of the world, rested solely on her shoulders. "Talk about one hell of a story, Roxy," he chuckled darkly, but internally, the editor was troubled. He was afraid for Roxanne Ritchi, and what she might be undergoing. "Just hang in there, Roxanne. Your husband's going to do his best to get you out. You'll see."


	9. Chapter 9: Reunited for a Moment

"We travel more distance than your kind can even fathom in crafts your human imaginations have yet to dream of, and you think you would know we are here?" Commander Icos' voice bellowed in my ear. "We are as the good biologists, observing and tending to your dysfunctions. We are the doctors of the galaxy, the caretakers who come to save such planets as this one. Think of us as friends from a galaxy far, far away, perhaps in a place with three suns and two moons. Yet we are the ones who will bring peace to you should you choose to cooperate. However, if you continue giving us a hard time, Miss Ritchi, then by all means, please, keep resisting our attempts to help you see, and see what happens. You understand what I am telling you, Roxanne Ritchi. Nod yes."

I have decided I do not like the commander of this vessel. His name is Icos, and he is a real prick if you want my professional opinion. The man is practically shouting in my ear, demanding that I pay attention to him.

I can feel the sweat drench my skin, the throbbing of my own eyes, the ringing screams vibrating in my ears, and the thumping of my heart against my chest. I can't hear my rapid breathing, but I can feel the oxygen flooding in and out of my lungs. Hesitantly, my eyes look at the dead corpse before me, the alien that I accidentally killed. I…he had been coming up to get me, and I sort of…stabbed him with a pen right where his trachea was, or would have been. That was Commander Icos' first mistake, allowing me access to my purse after I threw a huge fit about not being detained in humane conditions, and shouldn't the ambassador for Earth deserve better than a barren room?

Fear tortured my guts as I seemed unable to pry my gaze away from the dead alien's body, its blood seeping out of the wound a sickly greenish hue. They bleed green. My stomach churned in tense cramps, the fear engulfing my conscience, knocking all other thoughts aside. I have killed one of their own. Now what? Fear overwhelms my body, making it drastically exhausted. However, most of all, this fear is making me calm and that is what scares me the most. The commander of this vessel has been trying to tell me for the last several hours that there is nothing to fear but fear itself, yet in my world—our world—that isn't true. Many things exist that are worse than fear. The truth, for me, in those words are a warning that fear can change whom we are inside, making us compromise where we should stand tall and firm. Is our love for one another only in our anthems, or do we mean it? Would we feed the hungry given a choice? Would we home the homeless? If not, why not? What do we fear that keeps us from being the angels of our better natures? Who puts that fear into our hearts and minds?

Right now, that person was Commander Icos.

He'd shot me with something, I don't know what he implanted into my neck, but the commander himself came to me earlier and injected something into my bloodstream that's now allowing me to hear all the conscious thoughts of every single being on Earth.

A chill ran through my spine as I heard someone's yell for help somewhere down in the throes of Metro City. It made me shudder as a freezing cold wind would wake someone. My blood ran cold and beads of sweat dripped down my face. This girl, whoever she was, was being murdered, and the alien commander in front of me was forcing me to listen to such monstrosities, claiming it would help me to determine my decision in a day.

I sat in my cell, helpless, not knowing what to do and too scared to even think or speak.

"You're a monster," I hissed through clenched teeth. I point to my brain. "Fix this! Take it out, whatever you did to me, get it out! NOW!" I shout, not caring what happens to me at this point. It is clear to me these aliens are not going to let us live. No. They have no intentions of letting Earth survive, this is just a game and going through the motions, yes.

Commander Icos clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. "I do not believe you are in a position to make demands, are you, Miss Ritchi? No, you're not. You are at _my_ mercy and whims for the time being, my dear," he sneered, seeming to relish in my discomfort. "Part of your…tests, shall we say, involve a certain amount of discomfort to you, I will admit that, but it is a necessary evil to ensure you're capable of making the right decision."

"This is torture!" I protest angrily, feeling my cheeks flush red at the implication of his further threats to come. "See _this_? And _this_? What _is_ this if not torture?" I scream, holding out my arm to the light, my skin ghostly in the white glow of the room they're keeping me in. The worst of the commander's bruises are his grip marks, how he likes me to be trapped while he rages and screams questions in my ear about humanity's fate, if we deserve this. There is a cut above my left eye, the blood already brown and dried and my abdomen feels like my guts are on fire, and I panic a little internally, hoping our baby will be fine.

Commander Icos regards me for a moment, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, his yellow eyes almost looking quizzical. "It's necessary."

His voice is cold, emotionless, and frightening. I say nothing for fear it will invoke another outburst from the alien. After the first couple, I kind of lost count and hoped for the best. At this stage in the game, I almost—almost—wish that he would just end my suffering and kill me. If he is going to annihilate our planet anyways, it won't matter soon. No. Here I sit, with life clinging to me like a disease. It seems fate has other ideas in mind for me, and I know what I have to do.

"I won't make any decisions regarding Earth's fate, Commander Icos, until you allow me to speak to my husband," I say quietly, lifting my chin and daring to look the commander in his yellow, beady eyes. "I want to talk to Megamind, and not just on a phone or through one of your comm channels. In person, right now, sir. That is my deal," I say angrily. "I want to see him, and he needs to see me, to know that I am alive and relatively unharmed. If you don't, then I am not responsible for what happens to you."

Commander Icos laughs. "They did warn me you had spirit, Miss Ritchi. I commend you for it. Your bravery and audacity is admirable, my dear, but it will not aid you in your decision, I am afraid. You decide in…" he glanced at the device he wore around his wrist that seemed to double as his watch. "Eight hours."

"All the more reason for me to see him," I snap, swallowing back the lump forming in my throat and fighting back the urge to be sick. I try a different, softer approach. "Please," I say quietly, lowering my voice and keeping the hostility to a minimum. "Can't you at least grant the ambassador of Earth that much? If our race is to die in a few hours regardless of what I tell you or not, the least you could do is allow me the chance to see my husband one last time. Oh, and Minion, too! I need to…" my voice cracks and I turn away sharply, hoping he doesn't see the fear in my eyes and the beginning of tears. "I need to look in his eyes one last time. Please…"

I think it was the use of the word please that did it. I can practically see the alien's expression soften a little as he dares to meet my gaze. He sighs, and that's when I know I've won. Commander Icos frowns, pushing a button on his wrist device, his gaze unabashed and unwavering as he glares at me while doing it. "Fine," he says, and before I can even utter another syllable, my husband and Minion both appear in the prison cell next to me. "You have two hours," he warns. "Make your peace with each other. Then I'm coming for your answer, and you'd better hope we agree."

He leaves, in that special way of walking right through the walls of his, leaving me staring at the space where he had stood only moments before, before finally tearing my gaze away from that and having eyes only for _him_.

"Roxanne," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly, practically bowling me over in an almost violent hug. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?" he demanded, sounding furious.

"He—he put something in my neck," I say. "I—I don't know. He—we're fine," I say, resting a hand on my still flat stomach. I won't start showing for several more weeks. "Little Blue is just fine." Megamind smiles at the use of my nickname for our baby, but it quickly fades as his green eyes bear into mine, searching my eyes for the truth. I have never been good at hiding my emotions from my husband, but what can I say? It's just what he does to me. I'm babbling now, something that isn't like me, but I realize it's the repressed emotions at my situation coming to the surface at last. "How are we going to get out of here? Tell me you've got something!"

"I—I don't know," he confesses at last. He turned to Minion, who was being uncharacteristically silent. "Any ideas?"

"We could use the Brain Bots to blow their ship up?" he suggested, but even as he says the words, Minion thinks it's a very bad idea.

I shake my head no. "I don't think that would work. I—I haven't been able to see much of their ship, but I can tell their technology is advanced, far out of this world. Pun intended," I joke lamely, forcing a weak smile on my face, though the only thing I want to do is get off this ship and go home, spend our last few hours together in love's embrace. If we are to die regardless of what I tell the Commander, then I want to be in his arms when it happens. I can't think of a better way.

Megamind doesn't laugh. His brow is furrowed and he seems to be thinking about something, lost in thought. He scoots a little closer to me and rests his hand on my stomach. "I was worried about you," he says quietly, no trace of humor in his voice. "I was fully prepared to go…how do you say it, Roxy?"

"All gangsta on em?" I tease, biting my lip. "Grab your ray gun, hold it sideways and light their ship on fire? Kill them all? Every last one of them?"

"Yes, that," he says, smiling for a moment. I judge it carefully and I realize that it's genuine. He's just relieved to see I'm still alive and unharmed.

I open my mouth to speak, but I don't get a chance. The sudden pain in my head has an unpleasant warmth to it, eating at my stomach as it consumes me. There's nausea too, just enough to make me hold onto Megamind and breathe slow. He's saying something to me, sounding slightly panicked, but I can't make out what it is. I've often prized myself on ignoring pain and just keeping on regardless, but that just isn't possible right now. It owns me, dominates every thought, controls every action.

This pain in my head isn't sharp like a needle point or a knife, it burns my insides better than boiling water. Everything feels scolded and move or not, I'm in more pain than I could ever have imagined possible. A bullet would be a mere mercy right now.

"Roxanne?" demands Megamind, shaking me slightly, but I can't respond. "Honey, what is it?"

I just know that something is happening to me. I want to scream, to tell him to make it stop, but when I open my mouth, I can't form the words. I can no longer see clearly, there's a white cloudy haze in my vision and it feels like I'm no longer in control of my own actions, almost as if I'm being possessed…

* * *

"Sir, what's happening to her?" Minion asks, sounding perhaps for the first time in his life, frightened. The robotic fish could only watch as Roxanne's eyes clouded over and became white, and she ceased her movements, becoming absolutely still, almost limp in her husband's arms.

"I—I don't know!" he shouted, panicking now.

Minion could only watch as Megamind let out a startled shout and held Roxanne, smoothing her bangs from her forehead and whispering something in her ear, pleading with his wife to come back to him. There was something in his shout, a pain behind it. Minion watched. Minion watched Megamind's eyes. Then he knew. The blue alien's sudden budding anger was nothing but a shield for his pain, like a soldier scared for his life, randomly throwing out grenades, lonely, desperate, alone.

"She's under my control now," came a new voice, the commander's from the video tape earlier. "I'm afraid there's nothing you can do to pull her out."

"TAKE IT OUT OF HER!" bellowed Megamind, quickly whiplashing, as Minion had predicted, from despair to destruction. "Whatever you did to my wife, fix it now," he snarled through gritted teeth.

"No," answered the alien commander firmly.

"You and I, Megamind, we need to have…a dialogue." "I'm not telling you a damn thing until you fix this! _Fix her_!" he shouted, his grip tightening on Roxanne's limp form. He glanced down and saw that she had practically gone blind; he could see nothing but a cloudy haze where her brilliant blue irises once were. "What have you done to her?"

"She was getting to be too much of a problem," he said, almost sounding disappointed. He clucked his tongue in mock disappointment. "It will be easier for her to make her decision regarding Earth's fate without all the…distractions around her," he replied simply, fixing Megamind with an ice-cold stare. He pressed a button and three chairs materialized out of thin air. With surprising gentleness, he lifted Roxanne's unresponsive form from Megamind's grasp and sat her upright in the chair. The blank stare she was giving Megamind made him feel uneasy and heartbroken. He had failed to save her.

_The city needs you…I need you…_He remembered her words to her the day he'd fought Titan, and he vowed silently to her in this moment that he would always be there for her, no matter what became of him.

Commander Icos regarded Megamind in silence for a moment, seeming to ponder what to say next when a muffled noise broke the silence. Roxanne was speaking, trying to say something to her husband. "_Megamind_…" she whispered, her voice barely above a whisper and her eyes still white and unfocused through a misty haze. _"You're too late…"_

"I can see how hard this is on you," drawled the commander, his tone unforgiving and emotionless. "I will…give you some time to make your goodbyes, but I'm coming for her in an hour, and then…time's up." He left the distraught husband alone in the white padded room with his wife and Minion, who didn't know what to say to any of this, falling silent.

Megamind did the only thing he could. He held his wife in his arms and hoped, somehow, that she could hear him in her comatose-like state. Like a horror movie, it played again in his mind, watching his wife go from vibrant and alive to…_this_. It played repeatedly, as if his brain was unwilling to let the images go and in its attempts to analyze them made him see it all over again, when he just wanted his Roxy back. He knew the more he tried to suppress it, the more it would play again, but he just couldn't help it. In moments, he was back in the park with the cold darkness pushing against him, the moment he'd realized Roxanne had been taken from him. Streaks of fire burned his cheeks as he cried. Each new wave a hot trail of agony as he gently rocked his wife back and forth in his arms, as if he could will her to wake up that way. Fire of shame and anger at his failure to protect the person most important to him in Metrocity burned just under his blue skin and a deep emptiness filled his heart as the sentiments brewed over and boiled past the seams he could no longer hold together. There was no hope for an alien who cried to his death, drowning himself in the tears of his own personal hell.

"I don't care what I have to do, Roxy," he whispered, when he'd finally managed to regain most of his composure. "I'll burn this whole ship to the ground if it means keeping you safe. Reformed or not, I can't let them get away with this. Look what they've done to you..."

_I'll get you out, Roxy. You'll see. I promise..._


	10. Chapter 11: Whiplash

**A/N: Lord Almighty, I am so sorry for the delay in posting, for those few that are following the story and hoping for updates. Real life got a little hectic for a while, but I'm back and hoping to finish out this story the way it deserves to be told. Enjoy ****J**

* * *

Though I am helpless to do anything but stare through the white haze up at my husband, I can feel whatever Commander Icos did to me rendering me immobile. I can still hear the tortured screams of Metro City's people down below. I do not know what is happening in our city, but it isn't good. The city below is on fire, burning.

Though I can't tell if the aliens are doing it, or if they are doing it to themselves in sheer panic. I wish I were out on the field, down there, instead of up here, like this. Perry would no doubt be screaming at me to get the shots and the story covered before anyone else, something I'd be all to happy to do right now, instead of being here, trapped…

The device implanted in my neck burns, rendering me immobile and feeling like I'm on fire, and I feel like I am fighting with every ounce of self-control I have to try to regain some small measure of control of my body. To try to focus on something other than the pain, I force myself to think of the night I married Megamind. I married him with my eyes and soul on that night in October, on Halloween of all nights. I had thought he was looking effortlessly handsome in a simple black suit, me in a simple elegant vintage floor-length white dress with pink suede wedge heel sandals, borrowed pearl earrings and a crystal headband in my hair, makeup kept natural and simple. It was just us and Minion in the courthouse that evening before they closed. It was perfect. I married him with my heart and every future dream. I saw all of him, the joys and sorrows, and I knew that in my own special way, I was home. In addition, the funny unfunny part is—I wish I had told you sooner, Megamind. Perhaps one day I will. If we're lucky to make it out of this alive. In Megamind, I see the chance for the kind of love they say does not exist anymore. The type that spans far longer than just a single lifetime. All my life, I wanted a love that was full of passion and determination, fire with earth and water, yet is also a serenity my soul could dwell in forever. It's not the kind of love for mere mortals, so I guess I should be thankful that my husband is literally an alien. It took tremendous courage for Megamind to step forward into the light after a lifetime spent alone in the shadows. He has the heart of a lion because no one survives its loss, save for the two of us. We will win.

* * *

Lieutenant Osa regarded the blue alien, the one who called himself Megamind from outside the door to Miss Ritchi's room aboard their ship. Their technology allowed it so they could see into the room, but anyone inside, all they saw was the white padded wall. "Do you think that was really necessary, sir?" he asked the commander as his superior made to stand next to the young lieutenant.

"Every bit of it, lieutenant, make no mistake about that," growled the commanding officer darkly. "She won't cooperate of her own volition, so I merely…helped her along, if you will."

"What did you do, sir, if I may be so bold as to ask? All the other planets we've ever occupied, I've never see anything like what you did to Miss Ritchi, sir," he asked quizzically, not sure if he liked the sudden shift in his superior's tone. He could tell by how distraught the one called Megamind was, it was in those big green eyes of his. The man only wanted his wife back alive and unharmed, and now…The young lieutenant was beginning to question Miss Ritchi's purpose aboard their vessel.

"She's ours, Osa," he chuckled, still wearing his human disguise, and tapping the watch he wore on his wrist. "Miss Roxanne Ritchi is under my control for the time being until her time comes for her to inform us of her decision. I didn't want her giving her…husband any grand ideas, you know. Last thing we need is _him_ walking off with our prize."

Osa nodded, though he was beginning to feel the feelings of doubt prick his three hearts. "Yes, sir. They won't escape, sir."

The lieutenant fixed him with a cold stare. "See to it."

The commander of the vessel left his doubting lieutenant to guard the door, not giving a second glance behind him at Roxanne Ritchi or at her distraught husband. The lieutenant did his best to drown out the husband's screams and rants, though it was no good. Osa could tell that the blue alien, Megamind, was slowly reverting back to his old ways.

He had seen it time and time again, in others they'd held captive, when a loved one would enter the room, then it became personal. The alien was going to whiplash from despair to destruction, and after that, there was no telling what would happen to them.

* * *

For Megamind, the need for revenge was like a rat gnawing at his soul, relentless, unceasing; the cold steel of a rattrap, a trap he would devise himself, could only stop it. His need for revenge was like an abscess on the skin of the soul that could only be cured by the cruel sharp steel point of revenge. Festering like a septic wound and the only effective antibiotic is cold hard revenge. Savage. Spiteful. A dish best served cold. Unforgiving. He would bare a grudge until he died or took revenge, whichever came first. Settling old scores. Brutal. Callous. Satisfying. Empty. Pointless. Excessive. Mean spirited. It appealed to his twisted and dark sense of humor. These bastards had taken his wife, possibly in the process done harm to their unborn child, and for that, they would pay.

"Sir," piped up Minion weakly, seeing the dark look in his friend's eyes. "I know that look. What are you going to do, sir?"

He fixed the robotic fish with a cold, hard stare. "They took Roxi from me, Minion. I don't have another choice. They forced my hand, refused to listen to her, and now they've possibly harmed our baby. There's only one thing left to do, Minion." When he speaks again, his voice is cold, numb, devoid of any emotion other than raw, unbridled anger, one he was more at ease with, one he'd worked hard to repress, for his wife's sake. "I'm going to kill them all."


	11. Chapter 12: New Alliance

Lieutenant Osa shifted his weapon uneasily in his arms, hating every second of this. Oh, he knew, when he had signed up for this, what he was getting into, or so he thought.

The young soldier jumped when he heard the commanding harsh bark of his superior, though where Icos's voice was emanating from, he could not quite tell from where.

"Open the door, lieutenant! Bring the prisoner to the disclosed coordinates. NOW! Are you deaf, I gave you an order! See to it. You know what happens if you fail me," his voice snapped, sounding gruff and irate. A set of numbers appeared on Osa's wristwatch.

"Y—yes, sir, right away, sir, you have my word," he mumbled hastily, wasting no time in opening the door of the cell they'd been using to keep Miss Ritchi captive in. "You," he snapped, wincing at how annoyed his voice sounding, gesturing to the blue alien. "Get up. You three are coming with me. Right now. Hurry up!" Osa did his best to ignore the fuming look in the one called Megamind's eyes.

Osa turned and had been about to lead them out when he felt his arm being grabbed, and before he knew it, the robotic fish had slammed him against the wall, looking apologetic at the violent turn the night had taken, a turn for the worse.

"Fix my wife, you fool!" the blue alien called Megamind snapped. "FIX HER!" he shouted, his face almost turning purple with rage. "I'm not going anywhere until I know she's safe. Take that—that _thing_ out of her right now, or so help me, I'll—" He raised a long black baton. If Osa squinted, he could just barely make out the words Forget-Me-Stick on the side.

"Sir, please!" came the robot fish's, sounding exasperated. "I don't think this one is like the other one. This one seems different. Maybe he can help us. Just…let him speak. No need for violence yet. We might need his mind to get off this ship. We can't use him if he forgets everything!" Osa released a breath he'd been holding and felt his shoulders relax. He was surprised. He hadn't realized he'd been so tense and uptight.

"I—I think I can fix it. My commander he's a bit of a brute, and he, well—Icos is wrong. Earth doesn't deserve the fate he has planned for it. My—I can help you both get out of this, but you have to trust me!" Osa mumbled, sounding ashamed of his superior's actions. Megamind didn't look convinced.

"His men, his plan," the blue alien snapped, still eyeing the lieutenant distrustfully with those huge green eyes of his. "Why should I believe you? Why should I trust you?"

Osa hesitated, wondering if he could tell them the truth. "My wife's down there," he explained, sighing, pointing with his thumb to Earth. "I don't know where, but I swore I'd get her out and come find her. I can't do it with Icos watching, though. She was one of the few we left here to study over the years, living among your humans. If the planet goes up in flames, so does my wife. I'll help you, but we have to be quick. Once Icos finds out what I've done, there is no going back for me. It's a one-way ticket, you hear me?" he snapped, doing his best to quell the fear swelling in his voice and heart.

His gaze landed on the woman, limp and unresponsive in Megamind's arms. "Here," he said suddenly, his arms outstretched. "Relax," he said, putting emphasis on the words. "I think I know how to fix her. She's going to be a little groggy when she wakes up in a few hours, but hopefully, we can stop Icos by then, and you can go on about your lives like none of this ever happened."

Osa reached up a gloved human hand and carefully inspected the entry point in the woman's neck.

"Damn," he muttered through gritted teeth. "The son of a bitch is in there too deep. I'm going to have to…burn it out," he explained weakly, cringing at the growing look of outrage and fear in Megamind's eyes. "I don't think I have time to do this the slow way. There's no time. I-I'm sorry, but it—it has to come out, guys—"

"Could we take her to a hospital?" offered the robot fish, Minion, Osa thought his name was if he remembered correctly. "Could a doctor surgically remove it?"

"No time, and the human doctors wouldn't know what to look for, but I do. You're just going to have to trust me on this. Here, set her down."

Megamind gently laid his wife down, his gaze darting back and forth between his wife's unconscious form and Osa, who had pulled out some kind of laser tool from his utility belt and was prepping it, talking to himself under his breath. Megamind was curious.

"Why are you…like _this_?" he asked, gesturing with his hand to Osa's human disguise. "I'm curious."

Osa fixed the blue alien with an almost pitying stare. "Our true forms would only frighten the humans," he explained sadly. He sighed, running his hands through his thick hair. "Hold her down," he warned, shooting both Megamind and Minion a dark look. "I don't know if she'll be able to feel this, but I don't want to take any chances."

Megamind nodded, though his facial muscles had gone tense and the color in his face was slowly draining. He gave a curt nod of his head to Minion, who held Miss Ritchi down as he pointed the laser at the entry wound in her neck.

In Roxanne's intense silence thanks to the device rendering her ability to speak to almost nothing, she somehow screamed with her whole body as the device was burned out of her neck. Her eyes wide with horror, still white and blind, her mouth rigid and open, her chalky white face gaunt and immobile, her fists clenched with blanched knuckles and the nails digging deeply into the palms of her hand, hard enough to pierce her skin and bleed.

"Take it out of her! You're killing her!" Megamind screamed, feeling his panic swell to the surface as she thrashed in his arms. "Get it out!"

"Almost—got it—just one more! There!" panted Osa, carefully extracting the device with his long spindly, almost piano like human fingers though it was all just an illusion.

Roxanne gave one final twitch and went limp, her head resting against Megamind's chest. Megamind, though he desperately wanted to stay with Roxanne, knew her place was at their home, safe from what he was about to do. "Minion, get Roxanne out of here. Take her home. Have the Brain Bots set up a perimeter, nobody goes in or out unless I say so, including you. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Minion nodded, taking Roxanne in his arms, but not before Megamind reached down and gave his wife a gentle kiss. "I'm going to save you, hon, both of you," he whispered passionately, one of his hands drifting towards her still very flat abdomen. She wouldn't start showing for several more weeks.

"Trust me?" he whispered, though he knew she could not hear him. Megamind thought it was his imagination, but he could have sworn his wife answered him back.

"Until the world."


	12. Chapter 13: On Your Side

I wake as if it's an emergency as if sleeping had become a dangerous thing. My heart beats fast and there is a buzzing in my brain and together they are as panic with jump-leads. Only now my brain is as a flat battery, the exertions of the night being a marathon of erratic problem-solving. And so this day will pass as if I am hungover, not from drink, but from the nightmares that demand solutions. As I rose from a heavy slumber I am first aware of the coolness of the air and its loamy fragrance. The ground is lumpy as if I were on a bed of earth and rocks.

My clothes feel as damp as a flower in the dew of the dawn. I half wonder if I'm still dreaming as I sit up to take in the shafts of light that burst through the gaps in the leafy canopy above. Now I'm awake, perhaps more fully awake than I've ever been. There are no paths around me and no sign of another person. As far as I can tell I am alone with the birds who make their carefree song around me, and in that sweet melody, I feel more alone. This bizarre nightmare is mine alone. It's worse though than it first appears, usually after this point in waking I know who I am, and I don't. I can't think of a name that belongs to me or a single person I know. Any face my subconscious offers has as much resonance as a total stranger. I wouldn't know my own mother if she walked right in front of me, if I have one that is. And then, almost as if by some sort of magic, I remember.

"MINION!" I shout, panicked now. I can see the ships hovering over Metro City, ready to attack and destroy the city—and the rest of the world—in one swift single strike. Megamind's best friend and guardian wasted no time in bolting through the door and coming to my aid. He looked relieved to see me but confused at the way I bolted off the couch and rummaged through our master closet for my favorite white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and black skinny jeans, pulling on my black boots in a frenzied state. My in-the-field attire when I'm working, and I'd say this state of emergency definitely counts as needing to address the problem. "Where the hell is my purse and our car keys? MINION, GET YOUR METAL BUTT IN HERE RIGHT NOW!"

"Ah, Miss Ritchi!" he said, sounding slightly nervous to see me up and about so soon. "I think you should sit."

"I've been sitting, Minion," I snap, and paused, taking a deep breath, not wanting to get angry with him. Not now. "For days, it felt like. Hours, at best, but it had to be at least two days trapped up there. Where's Megamind?"

Minion looked suddenly uncomfortable. "He's…well…um. Up there," he mumbled softly, pointing with a robotic finger up towards the mother ship. Where Icos is no doubt waiting for my answer, though if I know that alien, he won't wait for my answer. He's made his deliberation and intends to destroy the Earth. "He said expressly to keep you under lock and key here, and not to let you out unsupervised, so that's my sworn duty, Roxanne, so if you please, kindly sit back down, you've been through enough today."

I glare at him, folding my arms across my chest. "Minion!" I shout. "What's my husband going to do to them?"

"He ah…well, he prattled on something about, well, er…killing them."

"WHAT?" I bellow, not bothering to mind my voice. Minion cringes at the harsh bark in my tone. Glancing around wildly for my car keys to the news van, finding them stuffed under the couch cushion. I grab my work purse, a simple clear crossbody bag that I'm forced to use to gain access to places that have extensive security so I can bypass the lines and go straight on in, not thinking about it and bolt for the door, but Minion blocks my path, determined not to let me pass. Though the aliens will be able to see what's in my bag since it's made of a clear PVC material, just my favorite wallet depicting a bunch of sleeping slothes, my cherry chapstick, and a few of Megamind's more 'subtle' devices that perhaps the aliens won't detect, like my personal favorite, the pen that doubles as a ray gun. "Minion," I whisper, feeling my voice go dangerously soft and quiet, and the fish gulps and I know I have him right where I need him. "Get out of the way! Let me pass, right now."

"NO!" he shouts, beside himself. "I—I cannot do this, Miss Ritchi, you mean too much to the boss, you're his wife and the mother of your unborn child. I won't have you in harm's way."

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. I so do not have time for this. Time's running out. "Min, the world is in danger. Megamind is in danger. I cannot let him do this to himself. I—I won't let him! He worked so hard to change for me after we married, and if I let him kill those creatures, he'll go right back to his ways! I promised him on our wedding day I wouldn't let him destroy himself anymore, and I aim to keep that promise, Minion!" I shout, feeling my temper swell as I stomp my foot, a momentary release of my frustration. "Either you're with me or against me, and, I'll…." My voice trails off as I spot what I'm looking for. "I won't hesitate to use this!" I shout, grabbing Megamind's ray gun and holding it sideways, gangsta style just like all the movies. "I'll do it!"

Minion sighs, snatching it out of my hands with one swift swipe. "There's no need," he grumbles, sounding thoroughly put off. "I can't stop you, Miss Ritchi so that only means one thing. I'm going with you. What can I do to help you? Don't shut me out. I'm on your side. What can I do?" he asks, resigned to his fate.

I grin and motion with a wave of my arm for him to follow me out the door of our house and into the van. "We've got to go into the city, find a way back onto that mother ship. I think I have a way for Icos to change his mind. I had a dream about while they were talking; with whatever that thing was they put in my neck. I saw it. I won't let Megamind revert back to—oh God." It's worse than I thought.

What was left of our beloved city was on fire. Smoldering, fire licked the bottom of the town square of our buildings like a hungry kitten with a saucer of milk, crackling, playful, gentle at first, fire flickered, flared, leapt, spat, shower of sparks like a fountain, plumes of black grey smoke, wound itself around the post like a great hungry serpent, devoured everything in its path, choking clouds of noxious smoke, inferno, blazing, out of control, ash floating to the ground like great dirty flakes of snow, showering onto everything, sprinkling onto the ground.

"Miss Ritchi, try not to look at it," advised Minion, sounding wise beyond his years. "Focus. Drive."

I nod and return my attention back to the road. Minion decides to break the heavy tension and awkward silence in our news van by asking the question that I just know is burning on his tongue, because were I in his shoes, or, I guess, his suit, rather, I'd want to know too. "What did you see, Miss Ritchi?" he asks cautiously.

"I can…I can only remember parts of it, but…when the aliens came to earth a few days ago to check on things, they did a planetary health check, sort of. Their readings were off the charts, mass extinction and pollution. Humanity as the dominant species, we were in full knowledge of the damage being inflicted not only to us but all of the others, still, we didn't stop," I breathed, relieved to be discussing the horrible things I'd seen. "The—the aliens had their belief systems given by God Himself if He even exists that forbade killing and promoted a guardianship—kind of like what you are to Megamind," I add, and I can't help but see the smug expression on the robotic fish's face. I press on, feeling like if I keep talking about it, my plan to stop this madness will sort of fall into place. "By large, they accepted it. Yet they had the least suitable people making global choices over the lives of their species as well as others. People chose death and misery over living cooperatively. Their history showed that such ideas had in times past come and gone, always ending with one dominant species playing God. B—but if I can convince them, maybe we can work together to make the Earth a better place if we cohabitate together and learn from each other. Step one is going to be a re-education program. By law, it should be tried before the selective culling starts."

Minion grinned, looking truly ecstatic. "That's brilliant, Miss Ritchi!" Then his smile faltered. "If only we can get there in time. Hurry."

I scoff and roll my eyes. "You want to drive?" I snap, weaving in and out of the ruin, trying to avoid wrecking the van. Those who were smart got the hell out of dodge and evacuated Metro City before it got really bad, and here we are, driving right in the thick of it. My knuckles are white with the effort to steady themselves on the steering wheel. I keep my voice low so Minion can't hear.

This time, I'm talking only to my husband. "Time never has been on our side, Megamind. But I'm coming."

_Just hang in there. Hang on. Be strong. For me. I'm coming to save you._


	13. Chapter 14: Peace

Megamind couldn't decide if he was slightly put off or turned on by how easily it had been to revert to his previous nature. It had been there a while now, this anger, escaping when he was away from those he loved. Namely, Roxanne and Minion. He was angry with store clerks and other drivers, hell, he was even angry whenever Minion made him a sandwich on particularly bad days and it didn't quite come out right. But the truth is, his life needed changing for the better, because there was more going into this big brain of his and body than he could handle and still be the new and improved Megamind, Defender of Metrocity.

The screaming had stopped so very suddenly. It was one of Icos' other top lieutenants, some purple slimy creep named Valug. _What a dumb name_, _a stupid name_, the blue alien thought darkly. One minute, he'd been right in Megamind's face, more alive than ever, and then the next he was meat on the floor. He had brought the gun tucked in his pocket, having shrunk it down to size prior to being beamed aboard the ship. The gun was just insurance, really, a way to make things cool off when things got heated. He'd gotten the other work from the outlet store in Romania, discreetly, of course, and there would be hell to pay if and when Roxanne ever found out he'd bought a weapon and didn't disclose the information to her, but she was pregnant, he was about to become a father, and he would be the first to admit he would feel remiss if they didn't have at least one means of defending themselves in their house. Megamind had received it only a few days ago, before they'd left for her parents' house, its numbers filed off, untraceable apparently. Before his blood had congealed, he had formulated his big villain monologue, what he would say to that bastard, Icos, when he finally confronted the shit that had kidnapped Roxanne, and he was surprised at how easy it was to dispatch the lieutenant.

A little squeeze of his finger and the other alien was dead. Less trouble than peeling an orange. He was also taken aback by how little it bothered her; apparently he was just faking being good after all. "ICOS!" he bellowed. He rounded the corner, heading for the ship's main bridge, and found himself face-to-face with the man himself. "Take that off!" he snarled through clenched teeth.

The commander was still wearing his human disguise. _A snake disguised as a man, what are the odds_, he thought darkly, chuckling darkly to himself. The cold look reflected on Icos' human face, in those almost black eyes of his, gave the alien the shudders. He seemed to have no sense of humanity, but then, why would he? He'd not lived among them. His heart seemed to be made of stone, the way he had so brutally taken Roxanne and kept her prisoner, tortured her for a decision.

He knew as he looked into the alien's eyes that he would never forget the evil glint in his beady black eyes, or how he smelled. He smelt of blood.

Of danger.

Megamind had never thrown a punch before with his bare hands, so he was incredibly surprised at the pain that blazed up his arm as his fist connected with Commander Icos' jaw. He threw his body weight behind the fist that edged closer to his face; it hit Megamind's jaw with such force that green blood pooled into his mouth. Pain erupted from the point of impact. With his own two hands, he grasped Icos' head in his hands and brought his kneecap up to his nose, there was a blunt crack and he released his dark-haired head. Crimson leaked from both his nostrils and his nose was twisted right. Megamind drew back his fist again and it ploughed into Icos' stomach, like hitting a train head on.

His guts smashed together, blood vessels bursting as Icos' fist met Megamind's stomach. He repaid this by punching his jaw; his fist colliding with all his body weight. Megamind continued this battering until Icos fell to the floor. His chest gently rose and sank with each shallow breath he drew in. Panting heavily, Megamind stood victorious over the commander, feeling adrenaline surge through his bloodstream, changing him.

"You came for Roxanne and now it's war. You come for her again; I'll stand in the way. You taunt her, threaten or come near her, and I will end you. I will show you every ounce of my power because I love my wife. Love. Something you can't even begin to comprehend, or you wouldn't be contemplating killing the Earth. SHE'S MY WIFE! I'll break every bone in your damn body before you ever lay a finger on her again. I'm going to kill you, you bastard. And there's no going _quick_ for you," he snarled, picking up Icos by the scruff of his collar of his uniform, and a startled holler broke him out of the moment.

"NO!" A woman's voice. _Roxanne_. "STOP! DON'T DO THIS, M, STOP IT!"

He froze, turning around, Icos still in his clutches, with a furtive guilty look on his face as he dared to turn around and face his wife. "Roxy," he whispered, immensely relieved to see she was alive and awake, and then his anger resurfaced. "How did you get up there? She's on board! How did she get on board? MINION! GET OUT HERE!" he shouted, knowing all too well who was to blame for her getting out. The robotic fish was looking incredibly guilty and threw him a charming sheepish little grin. "Don't try to pull me in with that adorable face of yours, it won't work!" shouted Megamind, in no mood for these games. "Why'd you let her escape? You—" but he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Roxanne's lips brushed against his. Not innocently, like a tease, but hot, fiery and demanding. He couldn't blame her, really. She had almost _died_, after all.

His wife broke apart last and pulled back slightly from his embrace to study his face. "I can't let you do this," she pleaded desperately, wrenching his gun out of his hands and tossing it aside to Osa, who'd been standing on the bridge, terrified. "If you kill him, you're no better than Icos, and what does that make you?" she demanded angrily.

"A villain," he whispered, feeling a sinking feeling deep within the pits of his stomach. "Oh, God, what have I done?" he moaned, not able to look at the battered, beaten alien on the floor. "This is all my fault, Roxy!"

"Shush," she soothed him, stroking his goatee with her thumb and forefinger, that, were he in a better mood, would drive him crazy, but there would be time enough for that later. "It wasn't your fault. He provoked you. What should we do with him?" she asked, turning to Osa.

The other alien looked at a loss, but quickly recovered, feeling the beginnings of the leader Megamind had sensed was in there all along, just needed the right time to coax it out. "He's a prisoner. My people will take him back to our home planet, where he will face judgment for his crimes. Our kind does not tolerate attempted murder lightly, it is quite possible he will face execution for what he has done, but he made his choice, and every choice has a consequence. This is his. Thank you for not killing him," he added, turning to Megamind, outstretching his human hand. "Peace? I'd like for our two species to learn how to coexist peacefully? My wife is still down there, somewhere on Earth. I promised her I'd find her and bring her home, but if you're okay with it, I'd like to discuss the possibility of a truce?" he asked, biting his lip.

Megamind let out a huge sigh of relief and felt his shoulders relax. He hadn't realized he'd been so tense. The blue alien shot a charming charismatic grin Osa's way and glanced at Roxanne. "Talk to her about it," he joked. "She's Earth's Ambassador, after all, aren't you, Roxy?" he grinned, draping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close, closing off the gap of space between the two of them. "What's your verdict?" he asked, solemn now.

Roxanne fell silent for a minute, thinking. "To build a better world we need to consciously design a better environment for all of humanity, one in which all the choices we have are good options. What we have now is a dynamic that makes people sick and then blames them for being sick. This world of fear and coercion can be swapped for one of love and cooperation, a world that brings us all health and happiness in all our different and wonderful cultures. We don't need a new world order. We don't need one world government. What we need to do is act like a family, one family of mankind, helps one another, bring the most disadvantaged into health and wellbeing. We shouldn't be "shooting for the stars" until our home world is healed. We are each other's priorities; we are our brother's keepers; we are the rightful custodians of Mother Earth, and we'd like to share it with your species if you would like to remain here," she said at last.

Osa nodded, holding out his hand for her to shake. "True," he said calmly.

They shook hands. Osa grinned, turning to the three of them. "Care for me to send you home?" he asked, joking, as the three of them stepped onto the transporter pads. "It's quick!"

Roxanne grinned, shooting him a thumbs up. "Beam us down, Scotty!" she chirped happily, laughing at the alien's quizzical, confused look.

"Oh, I understand that reference!" Minion called out as they were beamed back down to Earth, where they belonged.

"You did it," Megamind said quietly, once Minion had gone to another room to assess the damage and assemble the Brain Bots to begin repairing the damage to the city the alien ships had caused. "You won."

Roxanne grinned. "I had a reason to win," she quoted, echoing his own words back at him. "You."

He laughed and pulled her close, capturing her mouth with his in a gentle kiss. He kissed her and the world fell away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below her ear, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest.

* * *

"Holy shit, Sophia! This—this really hurts! God, Soph, when I do get that spinal tap thing?" I moaned, pacing her hospital room restlessly. The pain of my contractions during my labor was a prison for my mind. In the last few months of my pregnancy had gone so smoothly, up to this part. In that jail cell of fear and confusion, the time passed without me being able to keep track. My stomach tightened, I heard my own scream without being made aware of making it.

"It's called a spinal block, and you can't have it yet, Roxy, the doctor said you're not dilated enough," our midwife piped up, wearing her set of maroon scrubs. I had insisted on my best friend acting as my midwife and nurse for the birth of our kid. Megamind was looking absolutely terrified. "I have to wait for it to get _worse_? Why can't I have it now?" I groaned, letting out another piercing scream. "SOPHIA!" I shouted. My best friend wasn't fazed by my haunting screams.

She sighed, pulling her hair into a loose side French braid. "Honey, doctors are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream," Sophia sighed.

I lay still as Sophia administered the medication, waiting for the agony to subside. In times to come, I would forget these moments as effectively as formatting a hard drive, but always I would recall the love I felt for my baby, our precious child. Mine. With each contraction came a pain that dominated my entire being. In those moments, for those seconds that stretched into infinity, there was nothing else. I could hear sounds coming from the room, were they mine? When the pain passed it was only for a minute or so and I breathed with closed eyes, unwilling to re-engage with life outside of my own body. The room might as well have been empty for all the awareness I had, and when they did talk, touch, gain my attention, I found it hard. To reply, I had to find myself from the deepest recesses and drag myself forward to use my own voice, open my eyes.

Sophia leaned over the bed railing and put her face in front of mine, wet with tears from the pain of it all. "You can do this, Roxy," she said firmly. "You can do this, and you will. It's time," she commanded, her tone harsh but loving.

"I—I can't," I panted, exhausted, collapsing back against the pillow, my bangs drenched in sweat.

"Hey, hey, none of that," Megamind encouraged, holding my hand and not protesting as I gripped it tight enough to make a face. "You can do this."

I glared at Megamind. "Make it stop!" I cried, not caring who saw my tears. "Please, M, make it go away!" I wailed. "I—I can't take this anymore."

"You know I would if I could," he soothed, leaning over to kiss my forehead. "But I can't. You can do this, honey. Just—just do what Sophia tells you and push. It's almost over, and when it is, we can hold our baby." After sixteen hours of labor, we were all exhausted. Sophia, me, and the father-to-be, who was facing zero-hour with the dawning realization that he was unwanted, that right now, his wife wanted Sophia and the other attending nurse much more than she wanted him.

"I want you to get behind Roxy," Sophia told him calmly, "and brace her back. Roxanne, I want you to look at me, focus on my face right here, and give me another push. Keep pushing, keep pushing, that's it!"

Sophia was telling me that it was time, time to push. With a guttural grunt, I did so and bore down, losing all sense of myself in the effort to create someone else. I was told to stop. Three was enough. I felt the baby crowning and the hot stretching of flesh and held my breath. Without any further effort, the baby slid into the hands of the midwife. There was elation, a girl at last, and in seconds she was there, and eyes opening, mouth rooting for milk. I looked into those new eyes, a new consciousness, perfect and reaching out for her love. In that instant, I knew I would do anything to protect my child, that my love was as vast as the universe yet solid as a rock. I was a mother and would always be.

"Hold on a second," Sophia spoke up, her brows knitted together in a frown as she pressed down on my stomach. "I feel something," she said.

I stared. "What? What is it?" I demanded, having eyes only for our new daughter.

Sophia looked up, a startled look in her brown orbs. "Did anyone tell you that you were having twins?"

"Huh?" I exclaimed, stupefied. I turned to Megamind, who was looking equally ecstatic and happy.

"You hear that, honey? Twins!" he said delightedly.

I sighed, rocking their new daughter in my arms. "That's nice," I said matter-of-factly. "But I'm not pushing another one out," I snapped angrily.

Sophia laughed. "Oh, I think I can get you to change your mind." Forty minutes later, she'd delivered a healthy baby boy. "Congratulations, you two. Really."

"They're perfect. You're perfect," Megamind said quietly, holding our new daughter in his arms, swaddled in a bright pink blanket, blue for our son. He reached over and placed a brief but passionate kiss on my lips. "What should we name them?" he asked softly.

"I still can't believe it," I whispered. Our son began to cry in my arms. "Hey little buddy, it's Mommy," I whispered. "Guess it's name time."

"Yeah, I've been re-thinking those Star Wars names," joked Megamind, cradling our daughter and nuzzling her tiny little face with his cheek.

I stared at our son in my arms. "Oh, I don't know about that, hon," I piped up happily. "How about Luke?" I suggested, biting her lip.

"Luke," he said slowly. "Lukey, meet your sister. Your sister…." His voice paused, trailing off.

"We gotta narrow it down to six!" I laughed.

"Can I add a seventh?" pleaded Megamind playfully.

"Seriously?" I laughed. "What are you thinking?" I asked, stroking our son's face with my finger. "We're your parents, Luke. That's Daddy," I whispered, handing our son off to Megamind so I could hold our daughter and he could hold his son. "Seriously, M, she needs a name.

"Any ideas?" he asked, looking dazed, but years younger and happier than I had ever seen him.

I bit my lip again, hesitating. "I only had one name in mind. I was thinking we could call our daughter Ayla," I whispered. "After your mom," I said.

Megamind fell silent, a muscle in his jaw twitching. After a second, he nodded silently. "Ayla and Luke Ritchie. I like it." The new parents wanted to drink this moment in, this moment with their twins in their arms. Their eyes are more brilliant than they could have dreamed they would be, their tiny little hands more delicate. The babies felt so light, looked so perfect, and smelled so divine. Perfect. Megamind and Roxanne would be their protectors for as long as they lived and their love for the children would last for all time.

"Until the end of the world."


End file.
